Forlorn Hope
by ShaViva
Summary: From the very beginning there was something special about Major Evan Lorne. In Pegasus there is one who sees, content to admire in silence ... but for how long and will the cost be too high? Last in my Lorne series but can be read as a stand alone story.
1. Return from an Enemy Mine

**Forlorn Hope**

Author: ShaViva

Rating: T+

Content Warning: Adult themes, sexual situations, language, and some violence here and there.

Season: Season 7 of SG1 through to Season 3 (Progency) of SGA

Summary: From the very beginning there was something special about Major Evan Lorne. In Pegasus there is one who sees, content to admire in silence ... but for how long and will the cost be too high? Set after Science Fact. Last in my Lorne series but can be read as a stand alone story.

Classifications: Drama, Romance

Pairings: let's not give anything away now!

Spoilers for: Very minor spoilers for SG1 Season 7 'Enemy Mine', SG1 Season 8 'Icon', SG1 Season 8 'It's Good to be King' and SG1 Season 9 'The Fourth Horseman'; spoilers for SGA episodes 'Runner', 'Duet', 'Coup D'état', 'No Man's Land', 'Misbegotten'. Minor spoilers for the rest of the SGA season 2 episodes, plus season 3 all the way up to just before Progeny.

Acknowledgements: I use Gateworld dot com transcripts to back up my own viewing of any episodes I use in the story. Anything else I reference will be acknowledged at the point it's used in the story.

Disclaimer: The Stargate characters, storylines, etc aren't mine. I am unfortunately not associated in any way with the creators, owners, or producers of Stargate or any of its media franchises – if I was then Lorne would have been in every episode and had a stack of Lorne centric story lines to boot! All publicly recognizable characters, settings, equipment, etc are the property of whoever owns them. The original characters and plot and anything else I made up are the property of me, the author. No copyright infringement is intended.

Copyright (c) 2009-2010 ShaViva

* * *

_**Forlorn hope:**_

_A desperate case ..._

_In military affairs this refers to a detachment of men appointed to lead in an assault,_

_to storm a counterscarp, enter a breach, or perform other service attended with uncommon peril._

**

* * *

**

**Chapter 1: Return from an Enemy Mine**

_July 2004_

"You missed it Sir!" Major Evan Lorne turned from the open door of his locker in the SGC men's change room to look at the owner of that voice.

"Sergeant?" he queried with a raised brow.

"The Atlantis expedition, Sir," Staff Sergeant Ben Daniels continued. "Doctor Jackson found the gate address ... General O'Neill approved the use of the Antarctic ZeePM."

"They _left_ already?" Major Lorne asked in surprise.

Evan was struck again by the number of changes he'd noticed since he'd been back - the biggest being that the newly promoted General O'Neill was in command of the SGC. He was pleased that O'Neill had been recognised in rank and position – the man had been good to Lorne, when he'd first begun at the SGC and later, when the Unas had first emerged as a potential threat on P3X-403. Aside from a 'welcome back' he hadn't caught up with the General or anyone else for that matter. As soon as his boots had hit the ramp he'd been on his way out to the surface for three weeks leave. The visits home had been emotional – his Mom had cried when she'd opened the door to see him standing there. He'd seen her reluctance to let him go when the week and a half of leave was over – and that wasn't like her, she'd prided herself on being the stoic parent largely because she'd never wanted to put extra pressure on him. He knew it, felt bad that the SGC had separated him so much from his family, and could only reassure her that he'd be around for a while now.

Elaine hadn't cried – she'd smothered him with attention though, to the point he'd had to beg Drew to get her to stop. It had done him the world of good to spend time with them ... to see his nephew in person after six months. Elaine had gotten her wish – Jon was so much like Drew it was uncanny. If he didn't love the little boy so much Evan could have spent plenty of time teasing Drew about it ... instead he'd just soaked it all up, the pleasure of seeing his sister and his friend so strong a family unit with their son, and the wonder that a child was. It was an eye opener for Evan in a way – he'd never had much to do with kids before and hadn't expected to feel such a rush of emotion and pride over every little thing Jon did. At eighteen months the boy had already moved on from walking to running everywhere. He also seemed to need to climb everything – Elaine was forever pulling him down from things, her tone halfway between frustration and reluctant amusement. Evan had exchanged meaningful glances with Drew and Elaine had quickly picked up on his meaning.

"Just because he liked climbing doesn't mean he's going to be a pilot!" she'd exclaimed impatiently.

"I don't think it's climbing he likes," Evan had pointed out, nodding towards Jon. The boy had reclaimed his spot on top of the coffee table and was rocking back and forth with delight as he surveyed the world from his high position.

"_Evan_," Elaine had all but stamped her foot at him, the return to something so familiar and normal warming Lorne's heart.

Jon was babbling up a storm too, most of it completely incomprehensible but Evan listened carefully just the same, nodding and commenting in all the right places. He'd gotten a garbled version of 'Uncle Evan' out of the boy a couple of days in and hadn't been able to stop grinning for the rest of the day.

The other big news had been Elaine's second pregnancy. She was due around Christmas this time as well, making the gap between children just over two years. Evan could see how grateful Drew was that this time he could be there for the whole thing, being posted back to Cold Lake and not scheduled to go anywhere for the duration.

It had been hard to leave his sister's home too but again, the reassurance of knowing that Evan was stationed at Cheyenne Mountain in actuality this time had done a lot to lower the emotion of his departure.

And now, a couple of days back from leave, Lorne was still catching up on everything. Refocussing on Daniels, he considered what he knew of Atlantis. An expedition had been on the cards for some time, long enough that Evan had heard rumours about it before he'd left to set up the mining operation. He hadn't been around the SGC for most of the intervening time – his placement overseeing the mines had kept him permanently stationed on P3X-403 for almost a year, aside from the one leave period he'd been granted during that time. That operation was now firmly bedded down, Earth based civilian and military personnel working well with the contingent of Unas actively involved in mining the naquadah, and finally Lorne had been reassigned back to the SGC.

"Yes Sir," Ben replied. "You just missed it ... they left only a couple of weeks ago. All the people on the mission planning roster ... with a couple of surprises."

"Such as?" Lorne threw the personal stuff he didn't need back into his locker and slammed the door shut.

"Ah ... a helicopter pilot from McMurdo, Major Sheppard, went along," Daniels offered. "And Doctor Jackson didn't ... although apparently he practically begged General O'Neill for a spot on the team right up until the minute they left."

"Why the helicopter pilot?" Evan was curious ... the plans for the Atlantis expedition had been in place for months so a change of personal, especially so high up the chain of command, seemed out of place.

"He has the ATA gene," Ben said it like Lorne would know what he was talking about. Then Airman Ben Daniels had been stationed on P3X-403 in the beginning, before they'd found the large naquadah deposits and had their run in with the Unas. Lucky for him once the alliance with the Unas had been forged, the young Airman had been reassigned to a different team and earned himself a promotion in the intervening time.

"The _what_ gene?" Lorne frowned in confusion at the unfamiliar reference.

"Sorry Sir," Daniels apologised. "I forgot you weren't around when they made the discovery. They worked out there's a gene some people have that means they can operate Ancient technology – like General O'Neil in the Control Chair at the Antarctic outpost. Turns out that Major Sheppard has the gene too."

"There's an Ancient gene?" Lorne commented with a faint smile, intrigued by the idea. News of the Ancient outpost in Antarctica _had_ made it to P3X-403 ... but the fact that not everyone could operate the technology was news to him.

"Yes Sir," Daniels replied. "At first they tried to get other people to turn on the control chair but no one could so they knew there had to be something unique about General O'Neill that he was able to do it. Then a Doctor - Carson Beckett - came along and he could operate the chair too, although from what I heard he was less than enthused with the responsibility. Genetics is his speciality and eventually he worked out why only certain people could use the Ancient technology ... he found this special gene and named it the Ancient Technology Activation gene."

"That's quite a story Sergeant," Lorne looked at the other man in bemusement.

"I _know_ Sir - we were all tested before the mission personnel list for Atlantis was finalised," Ben revealed with a grin. He'd gotten a little polish and maturity in the year since he'd worked closely with Lorne but still had enough of that exuberant enthusiasm to raise Evan's amusement. "I guess you weren't around for that either Sir."

"No I wasn't," Lorne drawled, shrugging casually. "It's rare right – this gene?"

"Yes Sir," Daniels replied. "That's why Doctor Weir was keen to get everyone with even just a hint of the gene to commit to the expedition."

"Have we heard back from them?" Lorne asked curiously. "Do we know if they arrived safely?"

"No contact Sir," Daniels admitted sadly. "We do know they made it safely through though ... they kept the gate connection open long enough to confirm that. The General said it was probably a lack of sufficient power for making a connection from so far away that's stopping them from checking in now."

"And we can't dial them back again?" the Major asked.

"We could Sir," Ben repeated back the information he'd heard on the base grape vine. "But the IOA have indicated the Atlantis expedition is on its own. They won't authorise the use of the Antarctic ZeePM again unless there's a clear military threat that impacts directly on Earth."

"Which isn't likely to occur because they can't dial in to ask for help," Evan concluded.

"I guess not Sir," the younger man agreed.

"Well then whether I was tested or not no longer matters," Evan concluded, taking a few steps towards the doors. "No one, with or without this ATA gene, is joining that expedition ... at least not in the foreseeable future."

"No Sir," Daniels agreed again.

"Thank you for filling me in Sergeant," Lorne looked across at the other man gratefully. "I need to be somewhere right now but perhaps later you and relevant members of your team could meet with me to fill me in on any _other_ pertinent details."

"Yes Sir," Ben smiled, both at the praise and the implied compliment because Major Lorne had sought a Sit Rep from him.

Nodding to Sergeant Daniels, Lorne walked from the change room for his meeting with General O'Neill. Time to find out what his next posting would be.

He didn't give the ATA gene or Atlantis another thought ... after all, what were the chances he had that gene too?


	2. Iconic Rescue

**Chapter 2: Iconic Rescue**

Lorne found himself assigned to SG-6, a spot he was more than happy to fill. While he'd enjoyed using all the geology stuff on P3X-403, enjoyed what had essentially been a team management position, returning to a more typical role was a welcome relief. With any luck he'd get his own team eventually but for now he was under the command of Colonel Barnes ... a laid back and casual leader who had Evan feeling at ease from his first mission. Together with Lieutenant Fisher and Airman Ryan they made a good team.

He'd surprised himself ... building on the basics to become a pretty competent soldier. It was a mixed bag for Evan ... he was beyond glad to be back on Earth but felt a twinge of regret that he wasn't getting regular air time. He missed it ... the jets, the thrill ... the sky itself – had missed it the entire time he'd been on the mining planet. Luckily the SGC was supportive of pilots keeping up their qualifications so he got regular opportunities to put in some hours at the nearest airfield but it wasn't the same. The motive was to keep current and that was a whole world away from flying by the seat of your pants because you had to. Still, it was better than nothing and Lorne knew not to comment. Going through the gate on a regular basis was still as big a rush as it had been the first time and he wouldn't give it up for anything. And if he had hopes of more – of that flight in space Jack O'Neill had mentioned way back – well, that was between he and himself.

* * *

Evan had been back at the SGC for almost four months before he caught his first mission directly linked to SG-1. His team had been engaged in regular visits with off world communities so he'd hardly spent any time on Earth since his return. Now his team, along with SGs three and nine were joining SG-1 in a coordinated attack on Tegalus.

They were going to rescue none other than Doctor Daniel Jackson himself ... of course Evan knew the archaeologist had gone missing off world two months ago. Finally Jackson had managed to make radio contact and in Goa'uld code that Teal'c had translated, he'd given them a plan for rescuing him _and_ helping the Tegalan's of the Rand Protectorate reclaim their country from the hands of Soren - rebel leader and religious fanatic.

The mission briefing was short and precise ... everyone's roles clearly defined. Lorne held steady with the rest of his team as Colonel Carter and Teal'c stood close to the open wormhole, took the pins out of two smoke grenades and tossed the decoy weapons through the Gate.

In teams they followed SG-1 ... in the confusion of smoke it was easy for the opposing forces waiting to greet them to be quickly subdued, Lorne covering the area in front of his position with pinpoint accuracy.

Colonel Carter signalled for the teams to fall in behind her and Teal'c as they headed for the corridor that should lead them to Doctor Jackson. More smoke grenades around the corner allowed for more of Soren's men to be taken down with ease.

Once the opposition were silenced, Sam signalled for Lorne's team to push forward. Evan was about to move but instead froze, raising his P90 and aiming it at the corner they were heading for ... _someone_ was there.

"Cease fire!" a man called out. It was the loyalists ... opposed to Soren's rule and accepting of the SGC's help.

"Daniel, you guys OK?" Colonel Carter yelled.

"Yeah, we're fine," Lorne felt relief when that familiar voice replied promptly – they'd found Jackson and if his tone was any indicator, his plan had worked and he'd made it through unscathed.

Evan walked beside his team leader, Fisher and Ryan a step behind him, as Sam and Daniel approached each other ... there was time for a very quick SG-1 reunion before Colonel Carter indicated they needed to work out what to do next.

"Sam, this is Jared Kane," Jackson introduced the leader of the loyalists. "Kane, this is Colonel Samantha Carter."

"Thank you for rendering assistance Colonel," Kane greeted the Colonel in a stern and serious tone ... Evan was convinced by the other man's demeanour alone just how difficult life had been for these people recently.

"You're welcome," Carter replied, wisely deciding not to point out they'd done it primarily to rescue their own teammate, despite what Jackson might have offered. "What now?"

"We must get to the Control Room," Kane said with urgency, turning and leading the way towards the centre of the building. Once there, Colonel Carter deployed all the teams to positions covering every aspect of the doorway and exit corridors.

"Any chance he'll just surrender?" she asked Kane hopefully.

Kane said nothing, his expression all that was needed to answer that question ... Soren wasn't the surrendering type.

The sound of a single bullet rang out from the closed room. Lorne took a half step forward ... in fact _everyone_ from the Earth contingent did.

"Hold position," Colonel Carter ordered quickly.

Silence reigned for a few moments and then the door of the Control room opened slowly. The man ... Soren ... walked from the room with rifle in hand. His appearance wasn't what Lorne might have expected from a Rebel leader – if he'd given the matter any prior thought. Soren was short even by Lorne's standards, bald, and lean. Anything else about the man was overshadowed by his expression - confidence, scorn, condescension and religious fervour shone from his eyes in a way that made him look more than a little crazy in Evan's opinion.

Shaking himself, Lorne refocused his attention, aiming his P90 at the man's heart ... poised to take the shot if ordered.

"Drop your weapon," Colonel Carter ordered. Soren walked forward, holding his arms and the rifle out to the sides. "I said drop your weapon, now!"

Soren didn't move ... nor did he speak. He seemed to be waiting for something and when Kane moved up from behind Sam and shot him the 'what' became clear ... he'd been waiting for someone to take him down.

Kane walked to the fallen rebel leader and kicked the unused rifle away, motioning for his troops to take back the Control Room. The remaining rebels dropped their weapons with no further protest.

"It's over," Kane said simply.

"I hope so," Doctor Jackson said mildly. "You may have just made a martyr."

Evan frowned, thinking that 'may' was too soft – there was no doubt in _his_ mind that Soren would be remembered for his sacrifice and not for the acts of human cruelty he'd inflicted on the entire planet.

"I had no choice," Kane turned to Jackson determinedly. "You can return to your world now."

"Kane," Jackson began but the other man cut him off because he could continue.

"What happened to us was not your fault," he said.

"I know," Jackson said, his tone heavy with some unnamed feeling. He might know it intellectually but Lorne was sure the emotional consequences would be slower for the archaeologist to deal with. "We made a promise and we intend to keep it. We'll be back to help you rebuild."

Kane nodded, saying nothing more. As he headed into the Control Room, Colonel Carter moved to stand next to Jackson.

"Daniel, are you ready to go home?" she asked gently.

"Yeah," Doctor Jackson returned wearily.

Evan caught the other mans eye, nodding his approval – for what it was worth – over the way the archaeologist had handled so difficult a situation. Jackson's acknowledging smile was slight, his eyes still shadowed by what he'd experienced.

Lorne fell into position behind Colonel Barnes ... the return trip to the Stargate seemed almost instantaneous. They were soon on their way back to the SGC for the standard medical checks and debriefing, the whole mission taking less than an hour in total.

* * *

"Evan Lorne," Evan answered his phone absently, his attention on the latest mission report he was just completing.

"Congratulations Uncle Evan," Drew's jubilant voice had him straightening abruptly.

"Elaine had the baby?" he frowned. "Early ... _again_? Is she okay?"

"She's great and yeah, two weeks early this time," Drew's voice was grinning, he was that happy over the news.

"So are you gonna tell me the details or just keep me guessing," Evan was grinning too.

"Another boy ... I could pretend I know all the stats but we both know that's not the case," Drew shared. "All I know is he's fantastic – healthy – already bonding with Elaine. She wants to come home today even though she only gave birth this morning."

"Name?" Evan asked expectantly.

"Matthew Andrew Rider," Drew said proudly.

"After your Dad and you," Evan concluded. "_Nice_. Congratulations Dad!"

"Thank you. So, you gonna get the chance to come up, see him for yourself?" Drew asked.

"Hell yes," Evan returned. "I'll request a couple of days ... I'll get back to you as soon as I know when. It shouldn't be a problem – this place is already starting to wind down a little even though it's still two weeks before Christmas."

"You're still coming here for that right?" Drew broke in.

"Of course," Evan confirmed. "Mom's been on my case for weeks – wants a full 'family' event this year and told me she'd disown me if I messed that up for her."

"She's already on her way here – brought her trip forward so she can stay for the duration," Drew revealed. "She'd totally the proud Grandma right now."

"I can imagine," Evan said with a chuckle. "Tell Elaine I said well done Sis and give her a hug from me, the baby too. Oh, and tell Jon to brush up on his "Uncle Evan"s because I'm taking him out when I get there."

"Will do," Drew promised.

* * *

Christmas came and went too quickly, the following months and the missions passing in a blur ... in fact it was three months before Lorne again had the chance to work on a mission outside his own team's roster, this time directly with Doctor Jackson.

Of course he'd passed Jackson in the halls from time to time and nodded a hello but more often than not SG-1 was rushing off for some mission or other, or his team was, so contact had been minimal.

Jackson had been courteous and friendly but Evan was sure the other man hadn't forgiven him for moving those artefacts on P3X-403 without telling him first. That was probably going to be hard to live down even though, like Evan had said, that stuff _had_ been in the way ... physically as well as figuratively Edwards had been a hard task master and Lorne had done his best to manage that.

"Major Lorne," a familiar voice calling his name drew Evan's attention just as he turned the corner for the Mess Hall.

"Doctor Jackson," Evan turned to greet the archaeologist with a friendly smile. "I was just about to get coffee – you wanna join me?"

"Sure," Daniel fell into step beside the Major, keeping silent as they both went through the ritual of preparing drinks and then sitting down. "We had a report in from P88-013 ... they think they've found something left by the Ancients. It's probably nothing of any significance but Jack thought it important enough to clear me to go have a look. You interested in tagging along for guard duty?"

"What about the rest of your team Doctor?" Evan asked with a frown. "Why aren't they going with you?"

"Sam's giving a lecture at the Air Force Academy and Teal'c is visiting his son R'yac," Daniel explained simply. "I didn't want to request specific personnel from Jack until I'd had the chance to speak with you first."

"You must know everyone here," Evan pointed out. "Why me? I didn't think you'd be trusting me on another off world situation after our little mining adventure."

"You moved the artefacts," Daniel said simply, "_before_ they'd been catalogued."

"Yeah – won't be doing _that_ again," Lorne quipped with an exaggerated sigh.

"_Exactly_," Daniel replied. "So – you up for this mission?"

"Assuming Colonel Barnes agrees to release me, sure – why not," Evan replied easily.

"Great," Daniel got up, enthusiasm shining for his eyes. "The briefing is at 2 pm this afternoon ... I'll see you there."

Evan watched with an amused chuckle as the other man hurried from the Mess Hall. This was going to be interesting.

* * *

At a mission briefing that consisted of himself, General O'Neill and Doctor Jackson, Lorne found out the specifics on P88-013 – all the information that was on a need to know basis from SG-1's first mission there a month ago. That included the fact that a former Air Force Colonel, Harry Maybourne was living there as their King. Even more surprising was the Ancient flying machine that had been found there ... another piece of Ancient tech only ATA gene holders could operate. For the first time Evan half wished he _did_ have that gene – the chance to fly something so ... different difficult for a pilot to be denied just because of genetics.

General O'Neil had flown the ship through the Stargate - from there it had been transferred to Area 51 for research.

"Did _King Arkhan_ give any indication on what this latest find actually is?" General O'Neill asked Doctor Jackson with a faintly sarcastic edge to his voice.

"You know Harry Jack," Jackson replied. "He won't give anything away until he's sure he'll get what he's really after."

"Yes – King Arkan, also known as King Ulterior Motive," O'Neill quipped. "Well Daniel, I trust you know the man well enough not to agree to anything, ridiculous or otherwise. And you'll have the Major here along ... just in case you need reminding."

Lorne nodded, acknowledging the unspoken order implied by the General's words and pointed look. If Doctor Jackson looked in danger of being sucked into something by Maybourne, Lorne had permission to remove him from the situation.

"We'll be fine Jack," Daniel rolled his eyes at the suggestion he couldn't look after himself. "Be back before you have a chance to miss me."

"You forget how long we've been doing this Daniel," O'Neill retorted. "In any case, you have a go ...," the General waved a hand vaguely in the air between them, "so ... go."

"Thanks Jack," Daniel jumped up excitedly, keen to get moving. "I'll meet you in the Gateroom in ten minutes," he told Lorne, rushing off before Lorne could even acknowledge him.

"Is he always like that Sir?" Lorne asked General O'Neill with an amused frown.

"You have _no idea_ Major," O'Neill returned with emphasis. "I'm making you responsible for his safety ... don't let me down."

"No Sir," Lorne replied respectfully. Taking that as his cue to be dismissed, Evan threw in another "Sir" in lieu of goodbye. "_Yep - this should definitely be interesting_," he thought, turning on one heel and striding from the room.

**Authors Note:**

The timeline for when SG-1 and Atlantis cross over is less than clear so I've come up with my own timeline to clarify that. For this chapter I also had to make up a Gate address for Maybourne's planet because as far as I could work out it never had one ... or a name for that matter and referring to it as 'the planet where Maybourne is King' just didn't have the right ring to it *grins*. I also took some license with the SG-1 episode Icon in order to write the closing scene from Lorne's POV ... any changes were deliberate in that context.


	3. It's Good to be Ancient isn't it?

**Chapter 3: It's Good to be Ancient ... isn't it?**

Major Lorne exited the wormhole on P88-013 a step behind Doctor Jackson. The Stargate was located in a large clearing flanked by a row of trees ... waiting for them was a contingent of locals dressed in a manner Evan thought reminiscent of every old Robin Hood movie he'd ever watched.

"Garan," Jackson greeted the dark haired woman who stepped forward. "We're here to see King Arkan."

"He already knew of your coming," she replied in an overtly respectful tone.

"Of course," Jackson agreed simply.

Without another word Garan turned, and along with her followers led them down the path through the trees.

"He knew we were coming because he _asked_ for us," Lorne pointed out in a low tone to Jackson as the two men followed the locals.

"True," Jackson agreed with a small, indulgent smile. "There's a history there I'll fill you in on later ... suffice to say these people believe their King to be a prophet – regardless of everything we did last time to dissuade them."

"Do you think this current visit has anything to do with prophecies?" Lorne asked because Harry Maybourne had clearly 'foreseen' their visit - at least in the eyes of his people.

"In all likelihood," Jackson agreed. "Although probably not in the way you'd anticipate. Maybourne has always been very good at manipulating an array of situations and people to get what he wants."

"Yeah, I kinda got that impression from what General O'Neill said in the briefing," Lorne commented.

"Jack and Harry go _way_ back," Jackson revealed. "Beyond just our last mission here."

Lorne nodded, content to find out the rest of what was probably a very interesting story later.

The two men continued the journey towards the village in relative silence. King Arkan's realm was a pretty place, if you were into the whole forest glen thing ... for himself, Evan had always preferred the ocean ... or the sky.

Once inside the village, the decor continuing the medieval theme Lorne had going in his head, Garan asked them to wait in the central square. The villagers cast curious glances at the visitors but otherwise went about their business as usual. A few moments later Garan returned.

"King Arkan will see you now," she announced. "He is waiting for you in his private antechamber."

"Thank you," Doctor Jackson, ever the diplomat, acknowledged the audience granted without the slightest suggestion that he thought it ridiculous given the King wasn't even a native of the planet.

"This way," Garan invited them to follow her again, this time just a short journey inside the main stone structure forming the village square.

The room she led them to was large, dominated by a chunky wooden table and matching chairs in the centre. The walls were adorned with colourful banners depicting weapons and of all things fruit. Animal fur rugs covered much of the stone floor, thankfully without the accompanying stuffed heads that could have been displayed on the walls. There was a large stone fireplace at the opposite end of the room where a healthy fire provided both heat and light to the poorly lit room.

"_Doctor Jackson_," Harry Maybourne strode forward to greet the other man like a long lost friend. Lorne took in the man's attire ... ornate leather vest, leggings and jewelled crown ... along with the close cropped beard the total image had Evan struggling to hold in a grin - yeah, this guy had _definitely_ overdosed on Robin Hood as a child.

"Maybourne," Doctor Jackson replied, the expression on his face blank rather than accepting of the attention.

Maybourne cast a glance at Major Lorne, his welcoming expression turning to a scowl as he looked beyond Daniel and realised the two men were the entire team for the visit.

"Where's Jack?" Maybourne asked accusingly.

"Back at the SGC," Jackson replied casually. "He sends his regards ... said to tell you something urgent came up."

"I bet it did," Harry muttered under his breath.

"This is Major Evan Lorne," Daniel made the introduction despite the other man's disgruntled air. "Major, this is Harry Maybourne, known in these parts as King Arkan."

"No offence Major," Harry said irritably after Lorne had acknowledged him, "but I specifically asked that Jack come and visit me personally. Once you see this Doctor Jackson you'll see why."

Turning away Maybourne approached the large table, drawing their attention to the object that sat atop it. It was a miniature pyramid although the shape was where the similarity to structures on Earth stopped. It was made of a silvery grey material that glittered slightly in the flickering fire light. Around each side were a series of lines dividing each side into sections. Within each were symbols the likes of which Lorne had never seen before.

"What is it?" Doctor Jackson asked curiously.

"You tell me," Maybourne challenged with a smug grin.

Evan knew of only one race so enamoured of that particular shape. "Is this some kind of Goa'uld device?" he asked, looking at Jackson more than Maybourne as being the one most likely to have the answer.

"The material used and the style of these symbols – their arrangement on each face – is more indicative of the Ancients," Jackson replied distractedly as he took in the device. "The Goa'uld are notorious for copying and stealing technology from others. I always wondered where they got the idea to use the pyramids as landing platforms for their ships."

"Well I guess now we know," Harry said somewhat snidely. "Don't you think the bigger question here is what is it and what does it do?"

"I haven't worked that out ... yet," Doctor Jackson replied, spearing Maybourne with a suspicious glance. When he approached the table to take a closer look, Lorne followed, making himself the other man's shadow but not crowding him.

"This is interesting," Jackson muttered, leaning in close to the device. "I recognise some of these symbols as being Ancient words but their arrangement makes no sense."

"I thought that too," Maybourne agreed, taking a position directly across the table from Daniel and leaning in too. "See here," he pointed to a specific set of symbols. "This is some kind of prayer to the sun ... but the next part is something about enemies attacking."

"I'm not sure it's _meant_ to make sense," Jackson proposed, glancing back at Evan as he continued. "It's some kind of ruse ... a decoy ... see this symbol here could mean hidden but it can also mean deception."

As the archaeologist pointed to the various symbols Evan shifted closer, leaning in to get a better look at what the other man was seeing. Putting a hand on the table directly beside the device Lorne considered the possible reasons why the Ancients would want to make something so ornate to serve as a decoy ... was it some kind of toy or worse, a trap to lure in the unsuspecting?

Without any warning the device started emitting a low level humming sound ... accompanying it was the appearance of bright blue light that started at the bottom and travelled at a snail's pace along each of the lines carved into the face of the pyramid.

"You switched it on?!" Jackson straightened and glared at Evan accusingly.

"_Me?_" Lorne retorted. "I didn't _do_ anything – I was just looking!"

"Well nothing happened until you got close to it," Jackson pointed out more reasonably. "You know, it would have been helpful if you'd let me know you're an ATA gene carrier _before_ we got here."

"I'm _not_ a gene carrier Doctor Jackson," Lorne replied, glancing up from his inspection of the device to look at the other man with a puzzled frown.

"Ah ... you _are_," Daniel insisted.

"_No_ I'm not," Lorne replied just as insistently.

"Look - from our last trip we can be pretty sure Harry here doesn't have the Ancient gene," Jackson rationalised, looking closely at the Major. "And I know for a fact that _I_ don't have it either because I was tested along with the rest of the base before the Atlantis expedition left. Which just leaves you." The archaeologist narrowed his eyes, clearly thinking back to that time. His expression took on an enlightened look as he realised something. "You weren't there, were you?"

"I was still on P3X-403 with the mining operation," Evan confirmed. "Sergeant Daniels mentioned it just after I got back."

"You were never tested?" Doctor Jackson asked.

"No point," Evan excused. "Couldn't get to Atlantis to make use of it and from what Daniels said the chances of me having the gene were beyond remote."

"Well I'd say those odds just went up to 100 percent Major - this device just tested you and came up positive," Jackson concluded. "Now we just have to work out what it's doing and how you turn it off."

"_Me_ turn it off?" Lorne asked worriedly. "I'm still not convinced I turned it on!"

"You had your hand next to the device when it lit up," Harry pointed out. "Did you touch it?"

"I might have brushed a finger against it very slightly," Lorne replied. "Surely that wouldn't be enough."

"Depends," Doctor Jack said evasively. "What were you thinking at the time Major?"

"Ah ... I was wondering if this was some kind of trap to lure us in," Lorne admitted, casting a worried glance at the device.

The light had already travelled halfway up the pyramid, the humming sound getting higher pitched and somehow more insistent – a kind of 'You need to do something NOW' broadcast.

"Then I'm guessing you initialised it and when it detected the presence of two non Ancients it immediately activated its secondary function," Daniel proposed, spearing a glance Harry's way. "I don't know what that is but we're about to find out unless the Major here can turn it off again."

"It's a countdown," Lorne said suddenly.

"What?" Harry frowned, looking at the device with what could only be termed fascination.

"A countdown," Lorne repeated. "When that light hits the top of the pyramid the countdown hits zero and ... well I don't know for sure but it's a safe bet we won't like it."

"How could you know that?" Daniel frowned in surprise at the other mans certainty.

"I don't _know_," Evan returned irritably. "But it makes sense, right?"

"We should just leave then," Harry proposed, although he made no move to do so, "get out of range."

"We _could_ do that," Jackson agreed, "but we have no way of knowing what the range is nor its destructive potential. You have a village full of people here Maybourne ... at the rate that light is moving we wouldn't have time to evacuate them all."

"Then turn it off Major Lorne," Maybourne ordered, turning a stern eye on the younger man.

"I don't think ordering me is going to work," Lorne replied. "I've been thinking 'off' at it pretty much this entire time ... had no effect."

"You need to concentrate Major," Daniel made eye contact, trying to lend Lorne the knowledge he needed to believe that he had switched the device on and therefore should be able to switch it off again.

"I _am_ concentrating Doctor Jackson," Lorne insisted. "I'm not sure it's designed to be switched off so easily."

"The Ancients wouldn't have made this without having some kind of failsafe switch," Jackson insisted. "And under the circumstances I think you can call me Daniel ... the formality doesn't really sit well given our molecules in all likelihood are about to get scrambled together and smeared all over this room, if not the entire village."

"If we survive this General O'Neill is gonna kill me," Lorne muttered sickly, looking at the device with active hatred.

"Oh I wouldn't go that far Major," Daniel returned with an amused expression. "Maim you horribly, perhaps. Reassign you to the worst post on Earth, probably. But kill you? That's a little extreme, even for Jack ... although I _am_ his favourite archaeologist."

"That makes me feel so much better!" Evan retorted. "You're not helping here."

"Put your hands on the device Major Lorne," Daniel's voice compelled Evan to do something he'd actively avoided so far.

With a grim sigh Lorne let his hands hover over the device for a moment before closing his eyes and gently settling them on the pyramid. At once his mind was washed with humming static and his whole body tingled in a not altogether unpleasant way. Images flashed through his brain too ... like blue prints to a design that made no sense to him.

"What now?" he said softly.

"Now ask for the failsafe," Daniel instructed simply.

Evan focussed on the humming, following that advice. The blueprints shuffled forward rapidly and then settled into a steady image. Lorne wasn't even sure what he was doing, just that one part of that blueprint seemed to call for him to touch one particular section on the pyramids surface.

Snapping his eyes open, Evan looked at the first face, scanning it quickly and then rotating the pyramid so he could look at the next side.

"I hate to rush you Major but that light's almost at the top," Daniel's urgent voice broke into Lorne's concentrated state.

"Just give me a minute," Evan said distractedly, scanning the second face and not finding what he was looking for. Turning the pyramid again he began the process on the third face.

"We may not _have_ a minute!" Maybourne exclaimed. He could have left at any time but for some reason he'd remained to see the situation through.

"There!" Finally Evan found what he needed. Resting his index finger on the middle symbol he pressed forward while thinking "_off_" and was rewarded with the lights and humming sounds vanishing without a trace.

The device was dormant again.

"You did it!" Maybourne exclaimed, slapping Lorne on the shoulder exuberantly.

"That was bizarre," Lorne muttered under his breath, ignoring Harry's reaction as he took an unsteady step back from the table.

"You okay Major?" Daniel put a hand near Lorne's elbow as though expecting him to fall down. "You're looking a little pale there."

"I'm good," Evan belayed that statement by sitting down on the floor abruptly. Resting his arms on his raised knees he put his head down. "Headache ... just need to rest for a minute," his mumbling voice came back to Daniel and Harry still hovering close by.

"Jack never had this reaction when he flew the Ancient ship," Daniel frowned, concerned for his team mate. Looking at Maybourne Daniel's face again took on a look of suspicion. "Where'd you find this device Maybourne?"

"I had a little spare time here and there," Harry said evasively. "Did a bit of digging around – one day I found that buried in the dirt just below the surface."

"_Where_ did you dig around?" Daniel persisted.

"Near the temple ruins," Maybourne admitted.

"Near or at?" Daniel asked impatiently. "It was 'at' wasn't it? Was there some kind of prophesy attached? And don't bother lying because I can go out there and read it for myself if I have to. No other reason explains why you didn't just hightail it out of here at the first sign of trouble."

"That's why I wanted Jack to come!" Maybourne didn't deny Daniel's conclusions.

"What'd it say?" Daniels tone was long suffering, but not surprised.

"On the fourth moon of the fifty-fourth cycle one from a distant world will come and with Ludo's Pyramid claim the power of the Ancestors. In so doing will the fate of galaxies be forged," Maybourne recited. "I searched the village records and discovered the pyramid was real ... took me a while to work out where to search but in the end I found it."

"You thought it was some kind of weapon you could control for yourself?" Daniel shook his head sadly. "What do you need a weapon for anyway? This planet is peaceful and the Goa'uld are unlikely to return."

"There's no guarantee some other system lord won't come thinking he can rule us," Maybourne insisted. "As King it's my responsibility to protect these people."

"And there was nothing in it for you," Daniel said cynically. "No desires to expand your 'kingdom' or cash in on a potential weapon at all."

"You wound me Doctor Jackson," Harry returned, putting his hand over his heart.

"I'm sure I didn't," Daniel returned cuttingly. "You should have studied your Ancient more Maybourne. _Ludo_ means to banter or delude. The answer was staring you in the face."

Maybourne's expression fell ... for a moment it looked as though he'd break into a tantrum worthy of the Sherriff of Nottingham himself but then abruptly he laughed instead. "I guess the joke is on me then Doctor Jackson."

Lorne had remained sitting on the floor silently listening to the conversation going on above him ... although his brain still felt a little on the static side of normal so he'd been giving the others less than his full attention. He became more aware when the conversation stopped – raising his head he saw Daniel Jackson squatting down in front of him, concern evident.

"How are you doing there Major?" Daniel asked.

"Call me Evan," Lorne replied weakly, dropping his arms and using his hands to push himself up off the floor. After taking a moment to steady himself he turning resolutely towards the others. "Are we done here?"

"We should take this back to the SCG for analysis," Daniel suggested. "I'm sure King Arkan won't protest since it's of no use to him or his people."

"Take it," Harry said, his tone equal parts still amused but disappointed.

"I'll carry it," Daniel moved forward and hefted the pyramid into his arms with a slight grunt of exertion. "Just in case Evan has a random thought and turns it on again."

"Ha ha," Evan replied with a weak smile.

Waving a hand for both men to go first, Lorne fell into step behind them, keeping silent the whole way back to the Stargate. Harry accompanied them with the usual hangers on trailing along behind him.

"As usual it's been ... interesting," Daniel turned after dialling Earth and sending his IDC to farewell Maybourne. "I'm sure you'll understand when I say 'Don't call us ... we'll call you'."

"Give Jack my regards," Harry replied, folding his arms across his chest as Garan moved up to flank him.

"Will do," Daniel smiled, lifted a hand to wave at the assembled locals, and then stepped through the wormhole back to the SGC with Lorne a step behind.

"How'd it go?" General O'Neill's voice rang out from the Control room intercom system. "I see you brought take-away."

"It was ... interesting," Daniel shot a glance to Evan and then grinned up at the base CO. "And you're no longer the only resident ATA gene holder."

"I'm not?" O'Neill's tone was surprised sarcastic.

"Major Lorne has hidden talents even _he_ didn't know about," Daniel revealed.

"Interesting. Debrief in an hour," General O'Neill ordered. "Infirmary first."

Major Lorne trailed Daniel to the infirmary, not looking forward to his next few hours.

* * *

"How strong is he?" General O'Neill asked once the particulars of the mission had been summarised by Daniel. That included the part where Lorne had inadvertently turned on an Ancient device ... General O'Neill had glared at him accusingly but remained silent until Daniel finished his recital.

"You know we can't tell with just a blood test," Daniel replied. "It's a straight you have it or you don't result. So without any Ancient tech to play with we _won't_ know – and I think we can all agree that letting Major Lorne play with that pyramid wouldn't be the best idea. We still don't know exactly what it would have done if it _had_ reached the end of the countdown."

"Which reminds me," Jack turned to Lorne with a reproachful look. "You didn't do the job I gave you," he told Evan blandly.

"I know Sir," Lorne replied, meeting the General's eyes with an apologetic look as he took full responsibility for what had happened. "I'm sorry Sir ... believe me - finding out I have this gene is an even bigger surprise to me than it is to everyone else. I know that put Doctor Jackson in jeopardy."

"Oh please," Daniel scoffed at General O'Neill. "You didn't give him the protect Doctor Jackson speech did you Jack? From memory you didn't exactly excel at that yourself when you were leading SG-1."

"You're still here Danny boy," Jack pointed out smugly.

"I think that was due to a combination of Oma Desala and sheer dumb luck than to anything you did Jack," Daniel teased back.

"You help a man return from the dead ... what ... three times now?" Jack shot a questioning look at Daniel, getting a shrug in reply, before continuing. "And this is what you get. Gratitude isn't what it used to be ... let this be a lesson to you Major," the General finished with a faint smirk.

"Stop teasing the man Jack," Daniel reproached.

Evan was amused by the interplay between Daniel and the General ... and reassured by the obviously deep friendship that existed as well. From experience he knew O'Neill was a reasonable man and Evan didn't really expect to cop major fallout from what had happened on P88-013. _Minor_ fallout? Well, that might be a different story.

"How will this affect my assignment Sir?" Lorne asked, bracing himself for an unfavourable response.

"For the time being it won't," General O'Neill replied simply. "I expect you to volunteer to assist if any more Ancient gizmos turn up out of the blue ... other than that it's business as usual."

"Thank you Sir," Evan felt relieved at the most basic level. He'd continue with SG-6 as normal and push all thoughts of his genetic connection to the Ancients from his mind. Ancient gizmos didn't exactly grow on trees so with any luck he wouldn't be called on for anything remotely connected to them in the foreseeable future. Of course, if they needed someone to help them test that ancient flying ship then he'd be more than happy to assist.

**Authors Note:**

Lorne has the ATA gene - yay! The story will shift to Atlantis somewhere in the next chapter ... although playing with Daniel and Jack _has_ been much fun *grins*. You'll note that as far as I'm concerned a blood test wouldn't tell you who's the strongest gene holder ... I don't know for sure, but it makes more sense that you'd either have the gene or not - the strength is in how able you are to make use of it.


	4. Besieged by the unknown

**Chapter 4: Besieged by the unknown.**

"Pick up the pace!" Colonel Barnes yelled, glancing again at the man he was almost carrying down the path. "We'll have you back at the SGC in no time Major."

"I'm good Sir," Evan Lorne ground out, the groan he couldn't hold in every time he was forced to put weight on his right leg belaying that self diagnosis.

It was supposed to have been a simple meet and greet mission for SG-6 ... Colonel Barnes had even been building a nice rapport with the leader of the village they'd spent an hour walking to. Until they'd admitted to having had an alliance with the Tok'ra. Then it was a guns pointed, shots fired, run for your life kind of mission.

Unluckily for Lorne, they hadn't run quite fast enough and he'd managed to catch a bullet in the back of his upper right thigh. The amount of blood he could feel soaking his trouser leg as he did a combination of sprint left leg, limp with support from Barnes right leg was more than a little concerning ... as was the fact that he was starting to feel a little grey around the edges. If the bullet had hit something crucial he'd be on his way to the gate over someone's shoulder ... but there was still a lot of ground between 'gushing your life's blood from a major artery' and 'it barely left a mark' and Lorne sincerely hoped he was more on the latter end of the scale.

Behind them they could hear the sounds of the villagers continuing their pursuit ... their weapons not as sophisticated as the Earth versions but still gun related just the same. Apparently they weren't put off by the prospect of P90 automatic weapons fire either ... the warning rounds Fisher had carefully placed at their feet hardly causing them to pause.

"Nearly there Major," Barnes said reassuringly, hauling Evan along at his side while glancing now and then behind him.

"Yes Sir," Lorne replied in a low tone, clamping down on the desire to groan or better yet yell ... just because he knew it would _feel_ good.

And then they were at the gate, hopefully with enough of a gap on their pursuers to make escape without further incident possible.

"Dial it up!" Barnes ordered Ryan, moving to stand at the very limit of closeness to the gate without risking being touched by the expanding kawhoosh.

Ryan followed the order, rapidly dialling Earth and sending through his IDC.

"Let's go," Barnes pushed forward as soon as the stable wormhole was established, dragging Lorne with him.

And then finally they were safely back at the SGC, Barnes carefully lowering Lorne to sit on the ramp while calling for medical attention.

"What did you do to yourself Major?" O'Neill's voice rang into the Gateroom from the Control room.

Glancing up Lorne saw the General standing at the control room window looking down at him.

"This Sir?" Lorne replied with a cross between grin and grimace. "Just a scratch General."

"We'll see Major," O'Neill replied just as the medics arrived along with Doctor Lam. "Your timing couldn't be worse ... something we'll talk about after they patch you up."

"Sorry Sir," Lorne said even though it wasn't his fault his leg had been in the wrong place at the wrong time.

"Let's get you to the infirmary Major," Doctor Lam said after doing a quick examination, motioning for the stretcher medics to assist him.

"I can walk Ma'am," Lorne insisted.

"I'm sure you can Major but I'd prefer it if we gave you a lift," Doctor Lam insisted.

Lorne reluctantly let himself be stretchered out of the Control Room, his mind mostly occupied with wondering how serious his injury was and therefore how long he'd be out of action. But a small part of him had registered General O'Neill's words – clearly there was some kind of mission he'd been slotted for and Lorne could only hope he wouldn't miss out, that there'd be time for him to recover.

* * *

A few hours later Lorne was installed in the infirmary, awake and already annoyed with the inactivity. His wound hadn't been as serious as he'd feared but the bullet had still lodged deep in the muscle. He'd had surgery to remove it and repair the damage and apart from feeling weak from the amount of blood he'd lost felt ready to get moving. It would still be a couple of weeks before Lorne could return to full duty and he'd have to get around on crutches for some of that but it could have been much worse.

It brought back a few memories from Afghanistan – his familiarity with gunshot wounds earned there. Lucky for him this time the injury wasn't anywhere near as bad – Evan knew his own weaknesses – he didn't do well with forced downtime.

"Major Lorne," General O'Neill strode into the infirmary and across to his bed.

"Sir," Lorne replied, looking at the other man curiously. There was no way he was important enough to warrant a personal visit from the base commander and Lorne couldn't help but wonder what he'd done now.

"I hear you'll be back on duty in a week or so," O'Neill commented casually.

"So they tell me Sir," Lorne agreed.

"Good – because you're up for reassignment," O'Neill announced abruptly.

"Reassignment Sir?" Lorne queried with a puzzled frown – _that_ wasn't what he'd been expecting.

"We heard from Atlantis," O'Neill replied. "They sent a short data burst while you were off getting yourself injured ... the news isn't good. You'll be briefed fully on their situation before you ship out but I can tell you right now that Pegasus has scary aliens to rival the Goa'uld. They can use as many people as possible with the ATA gene to fly the Puddle Jumpers."

"That sounds –," Lorne broke off, realising he had no idea what to say.

"Exciting?" O'Neill suggested. "Ordinary? Repulsive?"

"Exciting Sir," Lorne returned with a grin. "It sounds very exciting."

"Well that's a relief," Jack quipped. "I'm not ordering anyone on the mission because contact with Earth is still going to be restricted. Thank God you didn't make me pull out the subtle pressure technique ... I think we all know that subtle isn't exactly my forte."

"I wouldn't have said that Sir," Lorne replied without any hint of flattery. Surely a guy who'd allegedly been black ops successfully for so many years knew how to be subtle and manipulative, despite his claims to the contrary.

"You can decline Major," O'Neill said seriously. 'I sincerely hope you won't but ..."

"A new place with new ships to fly Sir?" Lorne queried. "It's a no brainer. I'm sure my family will understand." He wasn't actually, but O'Neill didn't need to know that. Once he knew the details he'd have to deal with the fall out – trespass again on his family's good graces. Hopefully he'd have the time to do that properly.

"I'll give you the full details in the briefing," General O'Neill promised.

"Thank you Sir," Lorne replied, getting a nod from the General before he turned and strode from the room.

* * *

Lorne was released from the infirmary for the briefing early the next morning ... the conference room was packed with faces mostly unfamiliar, including two Colonels introduced as Dylan Everett and Stephen Caldwell.

It only took a few minutes of hearing General O'Neill speaking for Lorne to see why the General had been so disappointed he'd been injured. The General gave the highlights from the Atlantis data stream, describing the current threat to the city and as much as they knew of the Wraith enemy.

"Atlantis needs help," General O'Neill summarised. "They have three Wraith Hive ships on the way and no ZPM to power the city's shields. Atlantis is unaware of the ZPM found in Egypt ... their message was clearly more for information than a genuine call for help. Lucky for them there _is_ something we can do. With the new ZPM powering the Daedalus, Colonel Caldwell should be able get to Atlantis within the week. He'll transfer the ZPM to the city so that they can power their shield and hold off the Wraith. Major Lorne, you'll join a small crew for reassignment to Atlantis base once the threat has been eliminated." Lorne nodded once, looking only at the General. It wasn't common knowledge that he had the ATA gene and with his current status as injured Evan could only imagine what Colonel Caldwell thought about his inclusion.

"My crew will be ready to proceed as soon as we've loaded supplies and our passengers are available for transport," Caldwell reported purposefully.

"As soon as Major Lorne gains final clearance from Doctor Lam he'll be ready to go," General O'Neill spoke for the other man. "Isn't that right Major?"

"Yes Sir," Lorne replied confidently although inside he was dismayed to realise he wouldn't get to say goodbye to his sister and nephews or his Mom personally. A phone call would have to do ... it wasn't the first time he'd been reassigned without warning and Evan knew they would forgive him ... eventually.

"While the Daedalus is en route, Colonel Everett will prepare and lead a small strike force through the gate," O'Neill continued. "Their job will be to hold the city until the Daedalus arrives and they'll have whatever firepower they need to do so."

"My team is compilin' strategic plans with weapons requirements as we speak," Everett reported with a distinctive Texas twang. "We will be ready to proceed on schedule."

"Very good," General O'Neill returned. "That's the plan people ... questions?"

Lorne listened distractedly as questions were asked and answered by the mission leaders, his thoughts centred on his own upcoming involvement. It was going to bite that he'd still be on the injured list while the fighting was going on ... in fact Lorne was pretty sure _he_ would have been on Everett's team but for his injury. He could only hope the Daedalus would get there with time to spare. When the meeting was dismissed Evan grabbed his crutches and moved to quickly exit the room.

"Lorne, a minute," O'Neill's voice stopped him dead.

Waiting until everyone had left, Jack put his hands in his pockets and looked at Evan closely. "You okay with this?" he asked.

"Yes Sir," Evan returned promptly, standing as at attention as a man on crutches could get.

"Okay, first would you take that stick out your ass?" Jack retorted.

"Sorry Sir," Evan slouched over his crutches a little.

"If you're not okay for this you'd better tell me now," O'Neill insisted.

"I'm okay with it Sir," Evan repeated in a more relaxed tone.

"And your family ... what was it, your Mom and a sister?"

"That's right Sir," Lorne was impressed that he'd remembered after so long. "I won't pretend they'll be happy with this ..."

"What did Doctor Lam say about your leg?" Jack waved a hand in that general direction.

"To keep off it as much as possible," Evan shrugged. "It'll heal."

"You remember how we first met Major?" Jack asked casually.

"Of course Sir," Lorne returned. Hard to forget being beamed half way across the world like an episode of Star Trek.

"Turns out we have that capability ... via the Daedalus."

"Sir?" Lorne looked at the other man, trying not to be too hopefully.

"Since you spent a year digging naquadah out of the ground it's only fair you get to reap the benefits," Jack smirked when Evan continued to look at him uncertainly. "What are you standing there for Major? Go pack a bag and then tell Harriman where you want to go. We'll grab you from the same spot when the Daedalus is ready to leave."

"Thank you Sir," Evan said gratefully before leaving as fast as his crutches could carry him.

* * *

Lorne stood propped on one crutch in front of his open locker contemplating its contents ... discovering that he had no idea what he wanted to take with him.

"I hear they're sending you to a galaxy far, far away," the voice of Colonel Barnes issued from the other side of Evan's locker door.

Spearing a glance at his now ex team leader Evan shrugged. "I guess so Sir," he replied noncommittally.

"Because of this gene you have?" Barnes persisted, slouching onto the nearest bench and stretching his legs out comfortably.

"No other reason to include me, Sir," Lorne pointed out.

"Oh I don't know Major," the colonel quipped. "I hear you're a passable pilot when you're not laid up on crutches."

"Passable ... Sir?" Evan suppressed a grin as he raised an eyebrow at the other man. "You must have been talking to the wrong people ... I don't think that's quite the right word to describe my skills."

"Maybe not," Barnes laughed – flyboys were always so easy to tease. "It sounds like you'll get the chance to show off once you're there."

"A pilot never 'shows off' Sir," Lorne said piously before spoiling it by laughing too. "Sorry to leave the team a member down," Evan turned abruptly serious again.

"Goes with the territory," Barnes replied with a casual shrug. "I've got a couple of candidates for your replacement to consider already."

Both men fell silent as Lorne went back to considering the contents of his locker.

"Take something fun," Barnes suggested in all seriousness.

"Sir?" Evan looked at his ex CO with a puzzled frown.

"You only get a limited number of personal items, right?" Barnes confirmed. When Lorne nodded, Barnes reiterated. "You're gonna be a long way from the nearest Seers ... take something fun."

"Something fun," Evan returned thoughtfully.

"It shouldn't be that hard Major," Barnes pointed out somewhat sarcastically.

Lorne shrugged ... maybe he _was_ over thinking this but moving to a whole other galaxy wasn't something he did every other week. Other planets, sure.

"Take a little time to enjoy the ride Evan," Barnes stood and held out a hand to Major Lorne. "It was a pleasure serving with you."

"Thank you Sir," Lorne shook his CO's hand firmly. "Likewise."

"Good luck Major," Barnes said before heading for the locker-room door. "Try not to break their Ancient city."

"I'll try Sir," Lorne chuckled at the idea ... it was a 10,000 year old city – how breakable was it likely to be? Shaking his head ruefully, Evan turned back to his locker.

* * *

He was grateful to be getting the chance for a personal visit home, more than grateful, but it created a quandary for him. San Francisco or Cold Lake? His Mom or Elaine and Drew? The temptation to go see his sister and his nephews was almost too strong to ignore but ... the boys were young enough that they wouldn't remember his visit. Besides, Elaine had Drew and the children.

It had to be his Mom.

"Where to Sir?" Walter Harriman asked when Evan walked into the control room, his bag over his shoulder, crutches under his arms.

"You're just gonna ... beam me in?" he asked uncertainly.

"Not exactly Sir," Walter said earnestly. "We'll pick an out of the way spot – you'll have to get transport from there. Take this," he handed over a small device. "It's a transponder, so we can find you when you're done. They'll give you a permanent one on the way to Atlantis."

"Right, sure," Lorne shrugged, pocketing what looked like a remote car door opener. "Okay, ah ... San Francisco Bay," he went on to give the address.

Harriman turned away, tapping rapidly on his computer and then nodded. "Okay Sir, I have it," he said. "If you'll just stand where you are, I'll alert the Daedalus."

Lorne nodded, feeling a little ridiculous standing in the middle of the room while around him everyone went about their work.

"Daedalus, this is Stargate Command," Harriman spoke formally.

"Go ahead," a vaguely familiar voice replied.

"We have Major Lorne ready for transport Sir," Harriman reported. "I'm sending you the coordinates now."

"Very well. Major, this is Colonel Caldwell. We'll pick you up at the same spot in four hours."

"Thank you Sir," Lorne replied.

Immediately there was that same bright, engulfing light surrounding him. When it faded he found himself standing in a deserted alley just off Bay Road. Now all he had to do was walk home - it was only a couple of blocks and early enough that it hadn't gotten busy yet. The crutches had him moving slowly but he preferred that over calling a taxi to come get him. In fact, he kind of enjoyed it, strange though it was to have gotten most of the way home without any effort whatsoever. Knocking on his Mom's door, Evan stood back, looking at the houses on either side. The neighbourhood hadn't changed much ... looked like Mr Connor had finally added that second storey he'd always talked about.

"Evan?"

Turning back, Evan smiled. "Hi Mom."

"Oh, look at you!" opening the door quickly she hugged him carefully, and then stepped back, eyes on his crutches. "What happened?"

"Can I come in and tell you?" Evan's brow rose expectantly.

"Of course dear," Grace had been so surprised by his appearance and then worried by the crutches that she'd forgotten they were standing on the front step. "I was just about to have coffee," she explained, leading him past the living room on the way to the kitchen.

"I'll take some of that thanks," Evan sat at the table, propping his crutches up beside him as he watched her go about the familiar routine.

"What have you done to yourself this time?" Grace asked quietly, handing him a mug and then sitting down next to him with her own coffee, steam rising lazily.

"Why do you always assume when I'm injured that somehow it's my fault?" he asked irritably.

"Am I wrong?"

"As a matter of fact you are," Evan retorted. "I was in the wrong place at the wrong time is all. Should heal within a couple of weeks." He deliberately went vague on the nature of the injury – how would he explain a gunshot wound given he was stationed inside a mountain? He couldn't, not without lying.

"It's amazing how often you end up in that wrong place," Grace quipped, noticing that he'd clammed up on the details and not pressing him. There was no point in forcing him to admit he couldn't tell her more. "So, if it's not because you're injured, why the sudden visit? Not that I'm not happy to see you dear – this is a lovely surprise."

"I got the chance to come at the last minute," Evan explained. "I'm ah ... I'm being reassigned again," he almost winced as he said it, dreading her reaction.

"Somewhere remote, like before?" Grace deduced, her face going blank. "Another 'secret' location?"

"Ah ... pretty much, yeah," he replied. "I'll get regular leave and we can still send emails and letters, just -,"

"No phone calls," she concluded, "no easy visits."

Nodding, he watched her silently, waiting for something.

"And this is important to you?" Grace queried.

"It's important ... and not just to me, to everyone," Evan offered. "And there are opportunities to do some of the things I've always wanted to do ... things I wouldn't get to do anywhere else ... I can't pass that up Mom."

"I know you can't," Grace sighed, reaching over and putting her hand over his. "But someday you're going to have to ask yourself when it's going to be enough. You're giving up so much Evan – the chance to have a stable life, a relationship ... a _family_. For what?"

"It's hard to explain but ... it's worth it," Evan replied. "I know – I can't possibly know that because I've never had those things, but ... I _do_ know it. The trade-off is worth it. It's not like I've ruled out any of that other stuff, I've just ... postponed it."

"Yes, well, be sure you don't leave it too late," Grace said pointedly. "You're not getting any younger dear."

"Ouch," Evan slumped back, putting a hand over his chest and getting a reluctant smile from his Mom. "Way to bruise a guy's ego Mom."

"You know what I mean," Grace chuckled. "You're still a good looking boy."

"Okay, ouch again," Evan groused, "on the 'boy' _and_ the suggestion I'll need my looks to hook someone!"

Grace laughed outright – she never could resist when faced with her son's teasing sense of humour, always accompanied by a twinkle in the blue eyes that so reminded her of her Jonathon.

"So, we're okay?" Evan asked carefully once the laughter had died down.

"We could never be anything but," Grace replied. "It pains me Evan – having you so far away that you can't even call but ... well, I do understand you ... I know you never do anything lightly."

"Thanks Mom," Evan said feelingly, leaning over to kiss her cheek.

"What did Elaine say when you told her?" Grace was well aware that her daughter hated having her brother out of contact.

"I ah – I haven't told them yet," Evan admitted. "They only gave me time for one personal visit before I head out."

"And you came here?" Grace felt the swell of emotion rising along with the tears in her eyes. "That's ...," she broke off, sniffing quietly.

"Mom, please don't cry," Evan said, putting a hand on her shoulder. "Of course I came here – you are my Mom after all."

"See, now you've done it," Grace half laughed, half cried, a few tears escaping to run down her cheeks. Standing, she reached her arms around him where he sat and hugged him close. "You make it hard sometimes Evan Lorne but I do love you dearly."

"Good to know," Evan shot back, submitting to the not all that common display of motherly love. "Just, you know, let go – you're choking me."

"Right," Grace stepped back with a laugh. "How long can you stay?"

"Only for a few hours," Evan revealed reluctantly.

"That soon?" Grace was concerned now. "But ... you're injured! Shouldn't you be resting?"

"It's fine Mom," Evan dismissed. "I'll get to rest a little on the way – and they won't put me to work until I'm fit."

"I see." Grace looked thoughtful for a moment before nodding. "Well, you'll want to contact Elaine and Drew ... and your friends while you're here then," she concluded. "Use my computer now. I'll call and get a substitute to fill in for me at work – then maybe we can go out for a bit."

"That sounds great," Evan got up, holding his weight on his good leg as he pulled his Mom in for another hug. "I love you Mom," he muttered, resting his head against her shoulder and squeezing her tightly.

Grace put a hand on his hair and sighed. "It'll be fine Evan," she said simply. "We'll always be here for you."

Nodding, Evan just soaked it all up ... the familiar feel of his Mom's arms, being surrounded by her love ... and the memories of those same feelings throughout the years, his constant companion. He had to stock up on that because he knew it would be too long before he'd get to renew them.

_

* * *

_

From: Grace Lorne (Grace _ Lorne

_at__ aol . com)_

_Sent: Friday, 17th July 2004 09:24 AM _

_To: Elaine and Drew Rider (edrider __at__ eastlink . ca) _

_Subject: From Evan - New Assignment_

_Elaine, Drew_

_It's Evan - I'm at Mom's using her account. Listen, I don't have a lot of time. I tried to call you but no one picked up so it was either this email or have Mom call you for me._

_Yeah, as the subject line suggests, I'm getting reassigned. It's another one of those 'no contact' posts which means regular forwarding of all emails and letters but no phone or video call capability. I'm really sorry I didn't give you prior warning this was happening – I only found out myself this morning and they've literally given me a few hours to take care of the personal stuff before they ship me out._

_I had to go see Mom and there just wasn't time to go anywhere else ... I'm sorry. I can't really say anything more about where I'm going or what I'm doing. You know I hate that but it's the way it has to be._

_So, please, please send me lots of photos of Jon and Matt – videos too if you can. And letters – I want to hear all about what they're doing! You guys too – keep me updated on what's going on with you both, okay?_

_I'll be fine so don't worry (I know Lainee, easier said than done). I promise just as soon as I get leave to come back to the States I'll come see all of you._

_Give the boys a hug from their Uncle. You know I love all of you (yeah, Drew, okay – even you. You've got it in writing now.)_

_Look after each other._

_Evan._

* * *

Evan sat back and reread the message before clicking the send button. He regretted that he couldn't speak to Elaine personally – somehow that made him leaving so suddenly feel like some kind of cloak and dagger operation. It would have been nice to leave for Atlantis knowing that everything was squared away back home – now he'd be looking at every mail run once he was there, looking for the one from Elaine that said she was still talking to him.

Family mail taken care of, Evan quickly fired off emails to a number of friends around the country, in Canada and Australia. His Cougar team mates, especially Marcus and Cade got completely personalised missives, as did Dom and Riley. Training had forged strong bonds of friendship for Lorne – his Hornet training and the time he'd spent during Red Flag. They were all used to moving around, used to maintaining a friendship when face to face contact was a rare occurrence, so Evan wasn't really concerned about losing touch.

Once done with those there was one remaining contact he needed to make. Drew would always be his best friend but through circumstance and an unlikely connection, Piper O'Hara had snuck up on Evan and become his closest friend outside of family. He spoke to her when he could and they usually each stopped in on the other when they were in the general vicinity.

She was on leave from the marines at the moment, on maternity leave of all things. One day she'd just decided the time was right – as she'd described it she'd gone home that night and told her husband he had to knock her up, right there and then. Not surprisingly she'd gotten her wish and had given birth to a baby girl – Shannon Eleanor - a couple of months ago.

Evan had been staggered when she'd asked him to be Shannon's godfather, had gone as far as asking her if she was insane. His reasoning being that he was seldom around, had hardly any free time, and couldn't exactly be considered a reliable, constant, presence.

Piper had replied by saying that when he was around there was no one as dependable as Evan Lorne. And then calmly announced that if anything were to happen to both her and Rob she wanted Evan to raise Shannon, even over her brothers and sisters. He'd made her promise that that would _never_ happen and then agreed to take on the job. Shannon was a little princess, cute beyond words. That was another thing for him to regret, that he'd even less be able to have any kind of influence over her young life. Piper had known the possibility was there and he could only hope she didn't regret choosing him to be Shannon's godfather.

Time to try another phone call.

"Hello," Piper herself answered the phone and suddenly Evan felt a little nervous. She had a way of seeing through him which made prevaricating on any story really difficult.

"Hey, Piper, it's Evan," he began.

"Wow, two calls in one week," Piper smiled. "That must be a record."

"Probably," Evan agreed. "I'm ringing because –"

"Wait, don't tell me," she broke in. "You're being reassigned, to another one of those top secret bases, and you won't be able to call for months."

"Man, you're good," Evan drawled.

"What?" Piper said in dismay. "That's really what's happening? I was just joking!"

"I'm being reassigned," Evan confirmed. "Just got the news this morning but I'm leaving late today. I wish I could have come down to see you guys."

"So do I!" Piper sighed. "They had to pick you huh? Not someone else who doesn't have friends in Nebraska who were going to invite them to stay for a couple of weeks next month."

"Damn, that bites," Evan shook his head. "I've been wanting to come back since that last time. Did Rob get those new horses?"

"They're beauties," Piper shared, her voice awed. "You know I thought he was insane to sell his law firm and buy a horse farm but he's just a natural. We've already had a lot of success with the breeding program to the point that stud services are booked out months in advance."

"Yeah, well it's a great environment for bringing up a kid," Evan offered.

"Huh, listen to the expert!" Piper laughed.

"Hey, Uncle of two, Godfather of one," Evan reminded her, "I've got skills."

"You do okay," Piper allowed.

"That's generous of you," Evan shot back. Sighing, he got serious again. "I wish I could have the best of both worlds," he said simply.

"See your friends when you want but still get to kick ass in your job," Piper suggested.

"Exactly."

"Well, since you can't we'll just have to bombard you with lots of mail," Piper retorted. "Enough that they're going to wonder why it is Evan Lorne is so damn popular."

"I'm sure I'm going to regret this, but that sounds great right now," Evan admitted.

"You'll be fine. The time will go fast and you'll be back here on leave before you know it," Piper fell into the familiar pattern of grounding him in reality. "We won't let you get lonely."

"Thanks Piper," Evan smiled fondly. "Give Shannon a big hug from me okay. Tell her not to grow up too fast."

"Huh, she's changing every day," Piper laughed. "_We_ can't keep up ourselves!"

Evan heard footsteps behind him ... turning he saw his Mom, ready to go out. She raised an eyebrow and he nodded.

"I have to go Piper," he said. "I'd say I'm taking my Mom out but I probably won't get a say in the where so it's more likely she's taking _me_ out."

Grace laughed. She'd met Evan's friend when he'd come back from Afghanistan the first time. It had been a couple of months later, when the young marine had returned from her own tour. Grace had seen immediately that Piper and her son shared a strong bond ... and been quietly disappointed when Evan had disappeared for a couple of days straight after to attend Piper's wedding. He'd laughed when she'd asked in a roundabout way if he was disappointed and told her Piper and he knew far too much about each other's weaknesses to ever be anything but friends. Besides, her new husband was six foot three and would kick Evan's ass all the way to Sunday and back if he so much as thought about the possibility. She'd muttered something about never finding his own 'something' if he insisted on being everybody's best friend.

"You guys take care," Evan continued. "Just as soon as I get leave I'll make some time to come out – see my goddaughter. If you happen to be around too that'll be fine."

"You're still an ass, Evan, you know that right," Piper shot back.

"But you love me anyway," Evan laughed.

"I do – so you make sure you bring yourself back here in one piece or I'm going to be severely annoyed."

"Back atcha," Evan returned. "I'll miss you – especially the 'return to reality' pegging down you're so good at."

"You'll have to find someone else for that," Piper said sadly. "I'm really gonna miss you too – Rob will be jealous."

"Ha," Evan laughed again. Seeing his Mom still waiting, he shrugged. "Okay, gotta go. Be good."

"You too," Piper returned. "Stay safe."

Evan hung up the phone, turning to his Mom. "Okay, I'm done. I had to send an email to Elaine – no one answered – so you might cop a little fallout when she gets it."

"I'll manage," Grace said dryly.

"So, where are you taking me?" he smiled, charmingly holding out his elbow to her, a move made a little awkward by the crutches he was juggling into place.

"You'll see," Grace smiled.

"Right – surprises," Evan muttered. "I _like_ those."

* * *

It was a brief respite from reality but over too quickly. He'd wordlessly hugged his Mom, told her he'd write, and then walked out the door. Returning to that alley, feeling just as ridiculous as he'd waited the few minutes needed, he'd been beamed to the Daedalus and a rapid journey to the Pegasus galaxy. There wasn't much to be said about it – other than it had been long and he'd quickly run out of things to do. It had been PT once his leg was up to it and reading every skerrick of information he could lay his hands on about Atlantis ... that and spending time with the new friends he'd made along the way.

Things in the Pegasus galaxy didn't go quite as General O'Neill had planned ... but at the end of the day the city of Atlantis was given a reprieve from destruction by the Wraith. Lives had been lost or altered beyond recovery and it would take time to sort out the longer term consequences. And through it all Major Lorne had been forced to watch from the sidelines ... a situation that was beyond frustrating. Sure, he'd been on the Daedalus as it went into battle but that was as far as his involvement went and he was more than ready to correct that situation at the earliest opportunity.

Lorne stood with a small group of replacement personnel waiting to be beamed into the city for the first time. He'd traded his crutches in for a slight limp and carried his duffle over one shoulder. Colonel Caldwell had informed him that on a temporary basis he would be in command of the military on Atlantis which was a little more daunting that he'd like to admit.

"Don't make any changes," Colonel Caldwell had ordered. "Just keep things ticking over until we return."

Major Sheppard, Doctor Weir and all the department heads had already gated back to Earth for discussions on ongoing needs for the city. Once the new military leader was appointed Major Sheppard would probably return as the base 2IC and Lorne would hopefully be assigned a team of his own. Colonel Caldwell seemed particularly interested in matters pertaining to the military command position and had left his ships return to Earth in the capable hands of his 2IC so that he could gate back to the SGC to be a part of those discussions.

And so it was that Major Evan Lorne's first minutes in the city of the Ancients occurred with so little fanfare or audience. He felt the transport like a warm beam sweeping over his entire body. When the bright light cleared from his eyes, Lorne found himself standing in the Gateroom on Atlantis.

Immediately his senses were assaulted with cries for his attention, like every part of the city was shouting out '_over here!_' and '_look at me!_'. For the first few seconds, inside his head it was just static ... melodious, mysterious, compelling, it swelled in volume until he felt like his head might actually explode. Putting a hand to his forehead Lorne glanced at the other members of his group, noting that none of them seemed similarly affected. How the hell was he going to be able to function with background noise like this?

"_Enough!_" he finally yelled out the order inside his head.

Silence.

Suddenly his mind was blessedly his again.

"_Thank you_," Lorne thought, more than a little disturbed at the turn of events. Had that somehow been the city greeting him?

Had he really just told a 10,000 year old supposedly inanimate object to be quiet? Evan could already see that having the ATA gene and living in the city was going to be a little more than he'd bargained for.

"Welcome to Atlantis," the tall gangly man introduced as Chuck the control room technician spoke for the civilian contingent of the city, Lieutenant Smith seconding that as the ranking officer for the military.

"Thank you," Lorne replied, going for confident but friendly in his expression and approach. "Let's get these people settled into quarters and then you two can brief me on the current situation."

As everyone moved to comply Evan relaxed just a little. The silence in his head was immediately replaced by a gentle stream of that same strangely compelling static. After the initial rush he realised it was familiar in a way that wasn't unexpected – the Ancients had build the Stargates _and_ the city after all. Lorne frowned for a moment before deciding it was something he'd learn to ignore.

**Authors Note:**

Lorne on Atlantis! Yay! For anyone curious about why I had Evan arrive when he did and put him in charge it was because nothing else made sense to me. All the leaders gate back to Earth at the end of the Siege Pt 3 and from flashbacks in Intruder we know Caldwell was also on Earth. The Daedalus took everyone back to Atlantis so it had to return to Earth at some point too. And someone of high enough rank had to be left to keep things running on Atlantis. So I decided since we don't really know _when_ exactly Lorne arrived on Atlantis he might as well arrive while all that was going on.


	5. Welcome Intruder

**Chapter 5: Welcome Intruder**

An hour into his new life on Atlantis Lorne had already been given the rundown on the events that had led to Major Sheppard and Doctor McKay tricking the Wraith into thinking the city had been destroyed. As he watched Chuck and Smith exit the conference room Evan shook his head in amazement ... what the hell had he gotten himself into this time?

Deciding to take a walk around his new home before doing anything else, Lorne left the conference room and let his instincts guide his feet. As he approached each closed door it opened almost before he thought of the need, the same for the lights that came on to greet him. It was disturbing, but at the same time very cool ... and kind of flattering if you really thought about it. And all the while, in the background was that mental static hum he'd already begun to get used to, to the point he wasn't consciously noticing it anymore.

When he arrived at a medium sized circular room with nothing in it but a standing height simple control console something made Evan pause. Walking inside he thought nothing of it when the lights came on, the door closing silently behind him.

Something about that console called to him ... Lorne briefly wondered what the room was for but quickly decided the best way to find out was to ask ... in a manner of speaking. Putting his hands on the console he was rewarded with an immediate reaction.

"Hello," a woman of indeterminate age appeared in the centre of the room and greeted him in an even, businesslike tone. She had long dark hair and eyes appearing almost black and was wearing a long white dress in a style Lorne hadn't seen before - not that he'd necessarily notice details like that - he was a guy after all.

"Ah ... hello," Lorne replied uncertainly.

"You may enter your query verbally or by entering it manually on the console before you," the woman continued as though he'd never spoken.

"Who are you?" Evan began, not sure what he should be asking.

"I am an interactive learning hologram," the woman replied. "My primary purpose is the instruction of young children on the use of Lantian systems."

"Do you have a name?" Lorne persisted.

"A name has never been required for my efficient operation," the hologram replied expressionlessly.

"O-kay," Evan acknowledged, somehow not surprised the Ancients hadn't seen fit to name their interactive system in some way. "Did the children who made use of you have some kind of nickname or ah ... shorthand way of referring to you?"

"No," the hologram said bluntly.

"Well then - is your appearance based on anyone in particular?" Lorne tried a different tact.

"My outward appearance was modelled on the one called Ganos Lal," the hologram revealed. "She was instrumental in my design ... in your history she is referred to as Morgan Le Fay."

"Okay," Lorne grinned at his success. "_My_ name is Major Evan Lorne and if it's all the same to you I'll just call you Morgan."

The hologram hovered for a moment, flickering and then rippling slightly before regaining stability ... Lorne couldn't help but think he'd confused the program enough that it didn't know _how_ to respond.

"As you wish ...," Morgan finally replied with an expression Lorne would have described as puzzled. Obviously he was the first person who'd ever asked to call the hologram anything ... he wasn't sure what that said about him and decided not to think about it too hard.

"So you can teach me about the Atlantis systems?" Lorne queried.

"Yes," Morgan replied. "That as well as anything you wish to know of Lantian history up until the city was abandoned. Records beyond that point have been supplemented with input from your Earth based systems but much is unverified."

"That's a lot of information," Evan acknowledged, not sure where he should begin.

"I have an introductory presentation summarising the key historical points," Morgan offered helpfully, like she'd picked up on his thoughts ... which, given his mental affinity for all the systems, she probably had. "Would you prefer to view this first before addressing your specific queries?"

"Yes please," Lorne agreed.

A map of the solar system appeared above him as the room darkened ... in silent awe Evan watched as Pegasus evolved and then was taken over by the Wraith until the Ancients were forced to abandon their city. When it was finished and the lights came back up to full strength Lorne found himself feeling ... flat, a state exacerbated by mental static that had strengthened again and shifted from happy and excited to mournful.

"Is there anything else you wish to know?" Morgan asked gently.

"Not right now," Lorne replied distractedly, taking a deep breath and trying to shake off a sadness that belonged to the city itself. "_I'm sorry_," he thought, trying to project his regret outwards in all directions. The response felt like a gentle mental caress ... there were no words but if he'd been forced to describe what it meant Evan would have said the city had acknowledged that it wasn't his fault. It was happy to have people living there again, people it could communicate with. God, listen to him! If anyone back home could hear his thoughts they'd be checking him into the nearest mental facility.

Focussing back on the hologram that stood waiting for instruction, Evan smiled slightly. "Thank you Morgan."

"No thanks are required," Morgan replied, causing Lorne to chuckle in amusement.

"Of course not," he acknowledged, "but thank you just the same. I'll be back another day for that systems instruction."

He didn't actively think 'off' but the holographic Morgan Le Fay disappeared immediately and the doors reopened.

"That was ... interesting," Lorne muttered under his breath as he walked from the room.

* * *

"Major Lorne!" an urgent voice calling out from behind him drew Evan's attention away from the outer corridor he'd been jogging down. Stopping he turned to see Doctor Radek Zelenka hurrying towards him.

"Doctor?" Lorne queried when the other man drew to a halt in front of him, puffing slightly at the exertion. Evan himself had hardly broken a sweat even though he'd been jogging for fifteen minutes already - grinning just a little at the other man he made a mental note to talk to Radek about some kind of fitness training.

Lorne had met Zelenka and all the other senior staff his second day in the city, along with Teyla Emmagen who was acting to fill Elizabeth Weir's shoes in her absence. Two weeks into his stint as acting military leader Evan finally felt he had a handle on who did what and where everyone fit in. That had been helped by the fact that everything had been running very smoothly, a situation more than one person had pointed out wasn't usual.

"Teyla is requesting assistance on the mainland," Zelenka replied, his accent more pronounced with his urgency to deliver the message. "We could not reach you on the radio so ...," the other man trailed off with an apologetic look.

"Not a problem Doc," Lorne replied easily. Even though he routinely left his radio earpiece behind when jogging he appreciated that his current job wasn't one you could sign out from. "What kind of assistance?" Evan queries as he changed directions and led the way back to the control room.

"A hunting party has not returned as scheduled," Zelenka explained, hurrying to keep up with Evan's longer strides. "Teyla's young friend Jinto was included and Teyla is most concerned that something may have happened to them."

Nodding an acknowledgement Lorne saved his remaining questions until they reached the Control Room where Teyla waited, her demeanour calm but her expression somewhat anxious. Standing beside her was Sergeant Stackhouse, the Puddle Jumper pilot who'd taken her over to the mainland earlier that morning.

"Teyla," Lorne greeted the Athosian woman briskly.

"Major Lorne," Teyla stepped forward to greet him. "Halling approached me immediately on my arrival to the settlement ... the hunting party his son Jinto accompanied is now more than a day overdue in returning. I requested the Sergeant return me here immediately to request assistance in searching for them."

"How many?" Evan asked.

"Including Jinto the party numbered five," Teyla revealed. "It is not like their leader Toran to be late and I fear some misfortune has befallen them."

"I can take a team back over there Sir," Stackhouse offered, "fly a standard search pattern over the area."

"Do we know roughly where they were heading?" Lorne asked Teyla.

"I will be able to guide you, yes," Teyla replied. "Halling would also be able to point out the relevant land marks."

Lorne thought for a moment and then gave a decisive nod. "Two teams," he announced. "Stackhouse, you'll take your team and pick up Halling. Begin the search from the Athosian settlement heading out. I'll take Teyla directly to where the hunting party was going and search backwards from there. Hopefully we'll find them _before_ we meet in the middle."

"Thank you Major," Teyla said gratefully.

"We'll find them," Evan reiterated confidently. Turning to Chuck he gave the orders necessary to get the rescue mission on the road. "Have Sergeant Coughlin and Airman Reed meet me at Jumper Two along with Doctor Cole and whatever medical equipment she deems necessary." Looking back to Stackhouse he continued. "Assemble your team at Jumper Three and proceed directly to the Athosian settlement as soon as you're ready. We'll be right behind you."

"Yes Sir," Stackhouse acknowledged, turning and hurrying out the door towards the steps leading to the Jumper Bay.

Assuming the rest of his orders were already being followed Evan turned back to Teyla. "Give me five minutes to get changed and grab some gear," he told her, reminding everyone that he was still dressed for jogging.

"Of course Major," Teyla agreed with a small smile.

Lorne nodded reassuringly before turning and heading for his quarters.

* * *

"These are experienced hunters?" he queried Teyla as the two settled into the front section of Puddle Jumper Two. Coughlin and Reed were already there assisting Doctor Cole store her medical equipment for travel.

"They are," Teyla confirmed. "My people have spent many hours exploring the mainland and are very familiar with the hunting trails currently in use."

"Ready Doctor?" Lorne glanced back to check on the rest of his passengers.

"Yes Major," Cole confirmed, moving to sit in the chair behind Teyla.

"Okay then, let's get moving," Lorne announced, calling up the Jumpers pre-flight systems and running through them expertly. He'd wasted no time his first week in the city getting familiar with the flying ships and had quickly acquired sufficient expertise to make the current mission a breeze from a pilot perspective.

"Control this is Jumper Two requesting clearance for takeoff," he announced.

"Jumper Two, the roof is open and you are clear to proceed," Chuck's voice replied.

Major Lorne took the Puddle Jumper up and out of the city, flying high above the tower before taking a lower altitude over the ocean towards the Athosian settlement. The purpose was serious but still Evan felt a rush inside ... it was the same rush he'd felt the first time he'd flown an aircraft, a rush he'd never gotten over no matter how far he'd advanced in flying skills during his career in the air force. Now that rush had taken on an extra edge ... it was flying something fast and responsive and just all out impressive but it was also the mental connection with ancient systems, the way the craft responded to his thoughts almost as he was having them. He felt like the Jumper was an extension of him and the thrill of that was something he didn't think he'd get over any time soon. It balanced somewhat the cost of leaving his friends and family so far away.

* * *

Twenty five minutes later they were on approach to the settlement.

"Where to?" Lorne asked Teyla expectantly.

"That ridge," Teyla pointed out the prominent landmark in the distance. "The hunting party was intending to camp in caves located a few hours walk from the top."

Nodding, Lorne guided the Jumper towards the mountains, taking further direction from Teyla as they got closer. Evan couldn't land directly on top of the party's intended destination but found a clearing about an hour's walk away sufficient for landing. Setting the ship down gently he turned to his team.

"Help Doctor Cole with her gear," he ordered his men. "Teyla will lead the way to the caves. Keep your eyes open for any signs of recent activity."

Teyla strode forward, the rest of the team following and Lorne bringing up the rear. As they set out Evan suddenly realised he still had the city's mental static humming away in his head. That fact surprised him ... he'd just assumed that once he got far enough away he'd leave that behind. His other trips practicing in the Puddle Jumpers hadn't taken him very far away - he'd thought nothing of still maintaining that background noise. Clearly the mainland was not quite far enough away either.

Frowning, Evan wondered for the first time if he should have mentioned his mental affinity for Atlantis to someone. Putting it out of his head to focus on the mission at hand, Lorne decided there'd be time enough to talk about it once Doctor Weir and the others had returned to the city.

The walk to the caves wasn't difficult and they arrived just over an hour later to find no signs of Teyla's people. Conducting a thorough search of the caves didn't turn up anything useful and the team met back outside the cave entrance to regroup and decide what to do next.

"They were here?" Lorne moved to the front of the group to ask.

"I believe so," Teyla replied. "There are signs the fire was lit no more than two days ago."

"So they headed back towards the settlement then," Lorne suggested.

"Perhaps," Teyla agreed with a frown. "But why would they not have arrived on time if that were the case?"

"Good question," Lorne agreed, stepping to the edge of the path and looking up the slope as he thought possible explanations.

A glint of something higher up caught his attention and he shot a glance at Teyla. "Any chance they decided to continue up the mountain?" he asked.

"These caves are as far as we have explored," Teyla replied with a frown of consideration. "Perhaps something drew their interest but ... usually hunting parties stick only to known trails."

"Let's check it out anyway," Lorne decided, motioning for everyone to fall in behind him.

Following the trail ... more the path of least resistance through the thick foliage than an actual established route ... Lorne moved carefully up the slope. As they progressed the slope got steeper and the way more difficult.

Glancing back often to make sure everyone was coping Evan pushed forward. The surface began shifting from dirt to gravel and then to more treacherous rocks as the foliage thinned. Lorne's men were doing well, as was Teyla, but when Doctor Cole began showing signs the effort was becoming too dangerous for her level of hiking experience Lorne called a halt.

"Coughlin, Reed ... take Doctor Cole back to the caves," he ordered. "Teyla and I will continue to the top just to be sure no one's up here."

"Yes Sir," his men agreed, guiding a relieved Doctor Cole back down the path.

"You saw something?" Teyla queried why Lorne was so insistent on continuing.

"Maybe," he agreed, taking the lead again. "I don't know ... we're so close now we might as well see what's there."

Climbing from rock to rock as they headed towards the highest point Lorne almost missed it. Catching the faint echo of something he stopped, holding up a clenched fist and motioning for Teyla to be quiet.

"Help!" the faint cry echoed from below him.

"Toran!" Teyla yelled out in relief, moving to track where the sound was coming from until she was standing on the edge of a sheer drop down the opposite face of the mountain.

Lorne followed, grabbing Teyla's arm to pull her back. "Careful!" he cautioned, shifting to look downwards.

"Teyla - down here!" Toran called again.

"Are you all well?" Teyla yelled again. "Is Jinto with you?"

"Teyla!" Jinto's more childlike voice echoed back somewhat tearfully.

"Jinto!" Teyla smiled with relief. "I am here with Major Lorne from Atlantis."

"Be careful," Toran cautioned. "A crevasse opened at the top and carried us all down here."

"Where exactly _is_ here?" Lorne asked, moving cautiously back towards the origin of their voices until he could see the crevasse Toran had spoken of. It was narrow and steep, the edges unstable enough that Evan couldn't get close enough to see anything useful without hearing stones dislodge and fall noisily down to Teyla's people.

"Some caves Major," Toran replied. "We were unable to climb back up the crevasse and the cave leads to an opening too high and steep to climb down from.

"Is anyone injured?" Lorne asked.

"Jinto has sprained an ankle and Maris has a broken arm but otherwise we are well," Toran revealed.

"All right," Lorne called down. "Sit tight ... we'll work out how to get you out of there."

"Major," Teyla moved to stand beside Evan, watching his expression hopefully.

"The edges of that opening are too unstable for us to get to them from there," Lorne explained, motioning for Teyla to walk with him back the way they'd come. "I'm going to take the Jumper and try to get to them from the other side."

"Won't that be just as dangerous Major?" Teyla asked worriedly.

"There's probably an updraft so keeping the Jumper level might be a challenge," Lorne admitted lightly. "I won't know unless I try though, so ...," trailing off he gave a shrug. "Listen, stay here and keep talking to Toran. I'll radio you when I'm in position."

"Very well," Teyla agreed reluctantly. "Please be careful Major Lorne."

"Of course," Lorne agreed as though he were surprised she'd suggest he'd be otherwise.


	6. Rescue Run

**Chapter 6: Rescue Run**

Back at the Puddle Jumper after getting down the mountain as fast as he could, Lorne threw himself into the pilot seat and brought all the systems on line. He'd caught up with Coughlin, Reed and Doctor Cole on the way down and informed them of his intentions. They'd all proceeded to where the Jumper was parked, Lorne aware of how long he'd been gone but needing to set up for when he returned with the Athosians.

At the Jumper Evan ordered the other three to wait it out ... telling them he'd bring everyone back to their position as soon as possible. He didn't really think what he was going to attempt would be dangerous but there was no point in risking anyone unnecessarily.

"O-kay," Evan muttered under his breath, taking the Jumper up and heading for the top of the mountain again.

Flying over he spotted Teyla, standing as near to the crevasse as she could get. She waved as he passed overheard, turning back and presumably letting her friends know he was on his way.

Lorne approached the edge, the mountain dropping away in a sharp decline to the valley below, too far down and shrouded in trees such that he couldn't estimate the depth.

As soon as the Jumper cleared the edge Evan knew it wasn't going to be as easy as he'd thought.

The light breeze he'd barely noticed while standing on the trail was much stronger on this side, gusting sharply enough to jostle the Jumper dangerously towards the mountain face. Pulling firmly on the controls Lorne managed to steady the little ship, exerting more mental effort over the systems than he'd ever had to during his admittedly limited experience with Puddle Jumpers in general.

Once he was confident he had things under control, Lorne began the process of lowering the ship down towards the opening where the Athosians waited. It was slow going, the problem with the wind being that it wasn't constant in its efforts to shift him. One minute it was barely noticeable but then the next it seemed to rush up from the valley below, pushing sharply at the bottom of the Jumper.

One particularly strong gust caught him by surprise when he still had a few metres to go ... wincing, Evan heard the sound of the exterior scrapping against the mountainside even as he moved to correct his positioning. "Damn," he grumbled, wondering how much it cost to fix something that had been built at least 10,000 years ago and hoping they didn't take it out of his pay.

Finally he had the Puddle Jumper exactly where he needed it. Swinging the ship around so the rear was closest to the mountain, Lorne lowered the rear hatch. With a thump he heard it connect with the ledge, creating a nice ramp between himself and the Athosians.

"Toran," he yelled, swivelling in his chair to look for his rescue-ees.

"Major Lorne," Toran approached the edge, four other figures crowding closely behind him.

"We need to do this quickly," Lorne instructed, motioning for them to step forward into the ship. "I'm holding the Jumper stable for now but there's quite a breeze blowing up from the valley."

"Of course," Toran replied, turning and urging the two other uninjured members of his party forward first. "Take Maris," he told them.

The two men moved towards the woman, one urging her to put her good arm around his shoulders. Then as one they rushed across the rear hatch and into the Jumper.

"Sit down and secure yourselves," Lorne told them before looking back to the two still needing to be rescued.

"Jinto ... I will carry you," Toran called the young boy forward next. Limping, Jinto moved to Toran's side, letting the taller man lift him up and into a fireman's hold.

Toran walked forward at a slower pace than the others had, hampered by the weight he carried. Just as he was about to step onto the hatch a gust of wind rose sharply, lifting the Jumper slightly despite Lorne's attempts to keep it steady.

"Hang on!" Evan yelled to his passengers, relieved to see Toran jump back as soon as the hatch had begun moving.

Heart pounding with the adrenalin suddenly rushing through his system, Lorne felt the force trying to pull the Jumper into the void.

Struggling not to lose his position, Lorne almost growled at the effort, muscling the controls as though mere physical effort could keep the Jumper where he needed it. With the rear hatch lowered, if he allowed the wind to push him too far away from the mountain face it would end up gusting inside the Jumper, making it impossible for him to control. The rear hatch could end up jammed into the rocks, or worse yet he could slam the entire ship into the mountain. None of them were secure enough inside the little ship for that to have a good outcome.

Drowning out the frightened murmuring and sounds of jostling to remain seated coming from the rear, Evan focused everything he had on his mental connection to the Puddle Jumper.

"Come on," he urged softly, willing the Jumper to respond as he rapidly drew a mental picture of the ship stabilising and settling back into position. He wasn't sure how he did it but suddenly everything got easier. The ship righted itself and the rear hatch scraped against the rocks as it nestled back into the opening.

"Now!" Lorne turned and urged Toran to carry Jinto aboard.

This time the journey passed without incident, the two joining the rest of their party in the back of the jumper.

"Teyla, I have your friends on board," Evan reported via radio.

"Thank the Ancestors," Teyla replied, her tone grateful and relieved.

"Won't take us long to get Jinto and Maris some medical attention," Lorne offered. "Doctor Cole is waiting where we parked the Jumper before. I'll just stop and pick you up first."

"That will not be necessary Major," Teyla tried to sway him. "I am fully capable of returning to the Puddle Jumper on foot."

"I'm sure Jinto and the others would prefer a familiar face," Lorne countered. "Stand ready for my signal."

"Very well," Teyla gave in reluctantly.

"Everybody hold on," Lorne instructed as he closed the rear hatch and moved the ship away from the mountain.

Wind gusted once more but this time Evan used it to assist the Jumper up to where Teyla waited. One quick stop for her to hurry on board and they were away again.

* * *

Hours later, back on Atlantis with the Athosian's attended to and safely back at their settlement, Lorne walked wearily towards his quarters. It had been quite a day ... that point at which he'd been sure the Jumper was about to get blown into the valley still vivid in his mind.

Had it just been his mental picture of everything returning to normal that had saved the day? Could it really be as simple as that?

Not sure what bothered him more ... that he'd almost lost the Jumper along with the people he'd been trying to save or that he'd apparently fixed everything by imagining it ... Evan resolved to put it out of his mind for the time being.

* * *

At last the day came when the leadership of Atlantis returned from Earth on the Daedalus ... carrying new personnel as well as a couple of surprises. The most notable was that Major Sheppard was now Lieutenant Colonel Sheppard and officially in charge of the military.

"That makes you second in command," the newly promoted Colonel told Lorne when they met in his office to debrief on the prior three weeks.

"Yes Sir," Lorne agreed casually, more than happy with what amounted to a promotion for him as well.

"Choose a team for off world missions," Sheppard ordered. "You'll be specialising in following up negotiations Teyla and my team make as well as providing guard services for the scientists so leave a spot free to accommodate them.

"Sergeant Coughlin and Airman Reed worked well together on our Athosian rescue mission Sir," Lorne offered. "I'd like to make that a permanent arrangement."

"Good choice," Sheppard complimented. "Let them know they've been reassigned to report directly to you. Apart from off world missions you'll act as my executive officer ... we can work out the specifics as we go."

"Thank you Sir," Lorne grinned, looking forward to working with and getting to know his less than orthodox commanding officer.

"Did anything interesting happen while we were away?" Sheppard asked casually, getting up and motioning for Evan to walk with him. "Anything that _won't_ be in the mission reports?"

That was the moment when Evan could have spoken up ... mentioned his curious mental reaction to the city, the way he was aware of a connection even far away on the mainland.

But he didn't. Something made him hesitate ... something warned him to keep silent. Nothing good would come of discussing things he couldn't even prove ... that half the time he thought he was imagining.

Lorne liked the role he'd be filling on Atlantis and instinctively he knew that would change if he brought up the whole gene thing. He'd end up being tested and retested to see how much control he had ... or worse he'd be roped in as Ancient device activator for every scientist in the city. Better to keep that under his hat. They had Colonel Sheppard who was by all accounts the strongest gene carrier anyone had ever tested - chances were Evan could only aspire to a similar level, if that.

And besides ... Lorne would speak up about his talents ... if ever there was a need.

"At this point it's _all _interesting Sir," the Major said simply. "How do you get used to living in a place like this?"

"When I get there I'll let you know," Sheppard quipped, stopping when they got to the stairs leading up to the Control Room.

"That's what I thought," Lorne replied, mock glumly.

"Buck up Major," Sheppard said, slapping his shoulder bracingly. "This place will make you!" Chuckling, the Colonel bounded up the steps, leaving Lorne looking after him.

"Yeah ... if it doesn't break me first," Evan muttered under his breath, unconsciously echoing General O'Neill, before he too went back to his duties.

* * *

"You know, when they told me I'd be travelling to another galaxy, visiting strange new worlds, defending humanity against unimaginable alien threats, this just is not what I pictured!" Lorne told Doctor Parrish as he followed the other man through the night darkened forest on P3M-736.

It had only been a week since Atlantis had returned to normal, but in that time Lorne had set up team rosters, duty rosters, and training rosters for both old and new personnel. Now he'd managed to score his first off world mission ... in the Pegasus Galaxy anyway.

After many trips through the gate back on Earth, Evan hadn't been expecting this one to be different ... and it _wasn't_, apart from one small thing.

He'd realised it as soon as he'd cleared the wormhole and it had shut down behind him. No mental static, no feeling of connection. Atlantis wasn't there for him and the absence hit him immediately.

Had he gotten so used to who he was on Atlantis that it would affect him when he wasn't there?

A few minutes on the planet had Lorne realising how stupid that was ... he had plenty of experience off world and fell back on that familiar role, quickly forgetting his concerns as he assigned positions and got things moving.

The rest of his team, Coughlin and Reed, stayed back at the gate while Evan himself guided Doctor Parrish through the trees.

Parrish, excited about his studies, was oblivious to Lorne's teasing sarcasm. Evan had already discovered in the past that scientists in general were exceedingly enthusiastic about _everything. _In Pegasus made them difficult to watch, like children forever lured by the next bright and shiny toy.

"We could be saving Earth -- right here, right now, Major," Parrish fervently pointed out.

"Oh yeah? How's that?" Lorne glanced around, wondering how a bunch of trees alone could do that.

"Through a greater understanding of the long-term effects of severe ozone depletion on plant life," Parrish lectured. "You may not want to admit it, but it's a real danger."

"Oh yeah! Sure!" Lorne couldn't help being just a little sarcastic as he replied. "Global warming -- Wraith attack. I see the similarity now, you're right! Yeah, it's great!"

Parrish didn't take offence though, his attention already captured by something else.

"Hey, not too far, Doc, OK?" Evan called out, quickening his pace to catch up to the other man.

"Ah, not to worry, Major," Parrish dismissed. "I don't think there's much chance any animal could survive the long-term effects of exposure to the sunlight on this planet."

"So, not a place to build a summer home?" Evan joked, his humour wasted on an audience that wasn't paying any attention to him.

"Ah! It's the fact this vegetation is thriving!" Parrish pointed out a fungus like growth on one of the trees. "Somehow it's managed to persist despite what should be extremely destructive ionising radiation." The botanist stared delightedly at the plant for a few moments before looking to his left. "Oh, would you look at that?!" he exclaimed.

Not sure whether to be worried or resigned, Evan quickly raised his P90, shining the light in the direction Parrish was looking.

Parrish laughed delightedly. "Now what is a Williamsonia sewardiana doing here?!"

Relaxing his guard, Lorne sighed as he lowered his weapon ... appreciating for the first time that working out what was dangerous and what was scientific discovery was going to be more than a little difficult.

Eyes on the ground, Evan tensed when he realised what he was potentially looking at. A boot print? Here? Lorne bent down to get a closer look.

"Major!" Parrish called out in alarm from a short distance away.

Jumping up Lorne ran to his position, until he could see what had caught the Doctor's attention this time.

A dead body. Wraith. The first he'd seen up close and in person.

Squatting down, Evan looked for something to explain the unexpectedness of that. What he saw only added to the mystery. Bullet holes, multiple hits. Lorne knew there were other races in the Pegasus Galaxy who used projectile weapons but why would any of them shoot a Wraith on this particular planet?

"Doesn't look like the sun killed him," Evan told Parrish.

"What do we do?" For the first time the botanist seemed to realise that visiting an alien planet carried more than just the thrill of finding the next plant sample.

"Coughlin, this is Lorne," Evan called over the radio. "Any activity?

"No, sir," Coughlin replied.

"We got a dead sucker here -- looks K.I.A., no more than a day old," Lorne told his second. "We're on our way." Closing the channel, Evan pulled out a few light sticks, shaking them so their yellow light glowed sickly in the darkness, and dropped them around the body to mark the spot.

"C'mon, Doc, let's get you back to the Gate," he urged his companion.

"I-I don't understand," Parrish stuttered, still weakly mesmerised by the body.

"Well, neither do I," Evan pointed out. "All I know is he didn't do that to himself. C'mon. Let's go."

Urging Parrish to get moving, Lorne led the way back to the Stargate.

"Reed, dial Atlantis," he ordered as they walked across to join the rest of their team. Motioning Coughlin to come forward and look after the still troubled and distracted botanist, the Major stood back, waiting for the Gate to do its thing.

"Doctor Weir, this is Major Lorne," he began speaking as soon as the connection was established. "We have a dead Wraith in the woods a few minutes from the Gate, sporting multiple gunshot wounds. I don't know if that's what killed him because he's been worked over pretty good. Recommend you send a team to come check it out."

"Acknowledged Major," Weir replied briskly. There was a brief pause before she spoke again. "Any signs of activity in the area?"

"No Ma'am," Lorne reported. "Did find a boot print near the body though - could be our dead guy or maybe the one who got him that way. I'd guess whatever happened took place a day ago, two tops."

"Very well," Weir acknowledged. "The retrieval team will be ready to proceed in a few minutes. Head back to Atlantis once they're done. Colonel Sheppard will need a full report."

"Yes Ma'am," Lorne acknowledged. The gate shut down abruptly, returning the small clearing to darkness.

"So," the Major turned to Doctor Parrish. "How bad is that radiation going to get after daybreak?"

That was enough to distract Parrish from his obvious worrying. Lorne exchanged an amused glance with Coughlin as the botanist launched into a lecture on ionizing radiation and escalating exposure.

* * *

An hour later, retrieval team done with its work and stretchering the dead Wraith enclosed in a body bag between them, the gate was active again. Getting the go ahead from Atlantis Major Lorne motioned them to go first.

"Coughlin, you and Reed hold position here until we return," Lorne ordered, falling into step behind the stretcher, Parrish hovering uncertainly at his elbow.

The city greeted him as soon as he was through the wormhole and he smiled at himself for thinking it was happy to see him back. Watching the medical team hurry the body away for study, Lorne shot a glance at Parrish.

"Not what you were expecting huh Doc?" he commented lightly.

"No Major," Parrish agreed, his tone subdued.

"Well don't worry," Lorne told him. "We'll have you back there looking for prehistoric plants before you know it."

Slapping a hand reassuringly on the other man's shoulder, Evan smiled at his incredulous expression before heading up the steps to Doctor Weir's office where she and Colonel Sheppard already waited.

"Major," Sheppard greeted him. "Your first mission and already you're finding trouble?"

"Looks like it Sir," Lorne agreed. Taking that as his cue to continue, Evan gave them a run down on what he'd seen and perceived on P3M-736.

"Is the Gate covered?" Sheppard asked when he was done.

"Coughlin and Reed, yeah," Lorne replied, turning and acknowledging Teyla's arrival.

"We found a dead Wraith. Shot several times," Sheppard told her.

"Looked like bullets, but it's hard to say," Lorne offered helpfully. "The guy was a mess."

"The Genii use such weapons," Teyla pointed out.

"Doctor Beckett is performing an autopsy," Elizabeth told her, looking up and smiling when she spotted Carson on his way towards her door. "Oh! Here he is now."

"I'm not done -- not nearly, but I thought you might like to know this," Carson reported grimly. "The enzyme sac on the right arm has been removed."

"Ford!" Sheppard straightened abruptly, his relaxed pose gone.

Lorne knew the story of Lieutenant Aidan Ford and understood immediately the direction of Colonel Sheppard's thoughts. Ford was listed as Missing in Action - the chance to retrieve him, to help him return to Atlantis and himself, couldn't be overlooked.

"What's going on?" Rodney strolled in, his casual manner clashing harshly with the charged tone of the room.

"Thanks for coming, Rodney," Sheppard said sarcastically.

"What?" Rodney demanded. "I was right in the middle of a ..."

"P3M-736," Doctor Weir interrupted. "We found a dead Wraith, maybe killed by Ford."

"He could still be there," John pointed out, the decision to follow it up already made without anyone saying a word.

"Whoa, wait a second. 736?" Rodney protested. "The U.V. index there during the day is something like a thousand."

"Bring your sunscreen," Sheppard advised. "Be ready in ten minutes." Not waiting for a response, the Colonel turned and hurried from the room.

Lorne looked at Rodney ... wondering why he wasn't already moving. Ford had been his team mate for a year ... surely he'd be as impatient as Colonel Sheppard to go find him. Evan hadn't spent much time with Rodney to date but had already noticed the guy ... complained ... and not just a little.

"What?!" Rodney demanded, realising that everyone was waiting for him to act. "I wanna get Ford back just as much as everyone else, but do you see my complexion?"

"Yes," Teyla raised an eyebrow as if to say 'so what?'.

"Yes, it's very fair!" Rodney exclaimed. That must have been enough for Teyla, who shot him a look before leaving to follow John.

"Extremely fair," Rodney continued, addressing his comments to Lorne and Elizabeth.

Colonel Sheppard hadn't explicitly ordered him to attend but half of Lorne's team was still on that planet and the Colonel's team would need help in the search. Giving Doctor Weir a nod, the Major left Rodney to his complaints, sure the guy wouldn't be that far behind.

**Authors Note:**

For my description of the climb up to the top of the mountain I was thinking of hiking to St Mary's Peak - the highest point in the Flinders Rangers in South Australia ... if you've been there that's probably helpful but if not ... well, good to know I was actually thinking of somewhere real LOL. Oh, and Lorne mentions Parrish looking for prehistoric plants because the williamsonia stewardinia is a plant that became extinct during the Cretatious period (sourced from Wikipedia of course).


	7. A Run of Bad Luck

**Chapter 7: A Run of bad luck**

He should have watched his thoughts!

Lorne considered that as he walked through the woods of P3M-736 again, this time accompanied by Rodney McKay who appeared incapable of walking without talking. And not just talking ... nervous worrying couched in terms of complaints about everything. Evan had been thinking he didn't know McKay that well and then sure enough, Colonel Sheppard had paired the two of them for the search. "_Next time think about how you never get time with hot alien chicks_," Lorne thought to himself, glancing again over his shoulder to make sure his charge was keeping up.

"So exactly what kind of, uh, special training do you guys have to go through to get this sort of mission?" Rodney asked him.

"'You guys'?" Lorne raised an eyebrow, silently pointing out the label wasn't exactly flattering.

"Yeah, you know - Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines - it's a great place to start!" Rodney returned impatiently, oblivious.

"And by 'this mission' you mean hunting down a skilled weapons expert hopped up on Wraith drugs in the pitch black of an alien planet?" Evan said, just to be difficult.

"Yes!" Rodney confirmed.

"Actually, I skipped that course in major school," Lorne held his amusement in check with some difficulty ... the guy was just too easy to rile up.

"Yeah, I was afraid of that," Rodney muttered weakly, glancing around nervously.

"I was hoping Lieutenant Ford might recognise a friendly face and just turn himself in," Lorne explained, relenting and answering the question Rodney had really been asking.

"What, you mean me?!" Rodney asked incredulously.

"Well, you were friends, weren't you?" Lorne turned to glance at him. "_The guy couldn't have spent a year on the same team with Ford and not formed some kind of attachment, could he?_" Lorne thought in disbelief.

"Oh, yeah! When we weren't out on harrowing missions, we used to hang out together," Rodney said, sarcasm richly apparent. "I'd share my dreams of a self-sustaining fusion and he - he would talk of how you can sever a man's torso with a P90!"

"_Apparently he could_," Evan answered his own internal question, suddenly less than confident they'd be able to talk Lieutenant Ford to come with them peacefully with only McKay as the draw card.

A flash of something up ahead grabbed Lorne's attention abruptly. Holding up a clenched fist he stopped, narrowing his focus on the path ahead.

"What - that means quiet, right?" Rodney asked too loudly.

"Get down, get down, get down!" Lorne whispered harshly, pulling Rodney to the ground and extinguishing the light on his P90.

Unbelievably, rather than taking the hint, Rodney shone his torch down the path, directly where Lorne had been looking. "What? What?" he asked worriedly, still too loud.

"I thought I saw something move," Lorne told him, not adding "_something that now knows we're here because of you_". Had the guy learned nothing from Colonel Sheppard in a year of off world missions? Still it could be Ford ... and he knew McKay. Raising an eyebrow at the scientist encouragingly, Evan waited for him to act.

"What?" Rodney demanded in a low tone.

"Say something!" Evan ordered.

"Well, what?" Rodney asked lamely, looking down the path uncertainly.

"Talk to him!" Lorne insisted.

"What if it's not him?" Rodney asked worriedly.

Losing patience, Evan stood and grabbed Rodney's arm, hauling him to his feet and urging him to just do it.

"Ford? You there?" Rodney stepped forward, his voice shaky with nervousness and uncertainty. "It's your ... best friend Rodney, Rodney McKay. Everyone misses you back in Atlantis, and Doctor Beckett's figured out a way to help you, so you've just gotta trust me and ... "

Lorne had been watching the trees carefully while Rodney spoke. His rather lame attempts to connect with his former team mate had an effect, just not the one the Major had been hoping for. Rather than encouraging Ford to join them, instead someone ... or something ... broke cover and ran off, moving rapidly away from them.

Evan reacted instantly, giving chase. "Colonel Sheppard, it's Major Lorne," he reported over the radio as he ran. "In pursuit of suspect."

"_What_? So are we," Colonel Sheppard replied. "Where are you?"

"We're two klicks south of the Stargate," the Major frowned as he kept running, wondering how they could both be chasing the same man. Unless they weren't which meant .... "Where are you Sir?" Evan asked worriedly.

There was no answer from the Colonel and Lorne was realising that he'd also lost their own target. Scanning the trees ahead as he slowed his pace the truth of that became apparent. As far as he could tell whatever it was had disappeared.

He stopped running ... hearing McKay's noisy approach from the path behind him, Lorne turned and watched Rodney puffing to a stop in front of him.

"What is it?" Rodney asked breathlessly.

"Lost him," Lorne said simply. Activating his radio again, Evan checked to see whether Teyla and John had had better luck. "Colonel Sheppard."

"Stand by," the Colonel's voice was low and purposeful. "Teyla's been hit."

"Colonel Sheppard, say again," Lorne replied, needing more than that if he was going to be of any assistance. "What's your position?"

He and Rodney stood for a moment waiting for ... nothing.

"Colonel Sheppard," Lorne tried again. "Please respond."

Still nothing ... this was not good. "Colonel Sheppard, come in please. Colonel Sheppard." Lorne shook his head at McKay at the continued silence.

"What does that mean?" Rodney asked worriedly.

"It means we need more help," Lorne replied grimly, turning and heading back the way they'd come. "Move it McKay," he ordered impatiently when Rodney appeared frozen. "The quicker we get back to the Jumper the quicker we find the Colonel and Teyla."

"Right ... right," Rodney shook himself, hurrying to catch up again.

"_Great_," Lorne thought as they double timed it down the path. "_Your first Pegasus off world mission is going just great. Wraith body ... putting up with McKay and now you've lost your commanding officer. Nice work Evan!_"Sighing, Lorne turned to head back to the Puddle Jumper, not looking forward to reporting in.

* * *

With the sounds of Rodney stumbling into of all things a radiation suit behind him, Lorne addressed the marines there to assist in the search ... it had taken about an hour to return to the gate, report to Atlantis for backup, and see those men arrive kitted out to find Colonel Sheppard and Teyla.

"Okay, listen up. I want regular radio contact," he ordered. "Report anything unusual - and I'm talking _anything _unusual at all. Alright, move out."

The men headed out as ordered, leaving Lorne to once again team with McKay. He could have assigned someone else to accompany Rodney but Colonel Sheppard had given him the responsibility and Evan knew he would have expected Lorne to carry that through to the conclusion.

"Hey, wait, aren't any of them gonna, uh ... " Rodney protested, gesturing to his radiation suit. The marines ignored him, earning themselves an incredulous look. "OK, that's just reckless! There are four suits."

"Not exactly designed for moving through dense brush and rough terrain, not to mention possible combat, huh?" Lorne pointed out, humouring the man but having no intention of following suit.

"No, but by my calculations we've been exposed to 327 millisieverts since the sun came up," Rodney lectured. "It may not sound like much to you but, uh, I've been keeping a running tally of my lifetime exposure to radiation: X-rays, cellphones, plane rides, that whole unfortunate Genii nuclear reactor thing. My God - last week we flew dangerously close to the corona of a sun! As it is, I may have to forego reproducing."

During the whole spiel Evan had kept a lid on his amusement but McKay admitting to keeping a radiation exposure count was too much.

"Yeah, that's funny," he quipped. "I was just thinking that might be wise."

Holding back a grin as Rodney worked out the insult, Lorne moved off down the path, trusting the other man would follow him.

* * *

Ten minutes later Lorne was once again walking through the woods of P3M-736, this time illuminated in the harsh daylight sun. The place was hot, walking only slightly easier now he could see where he was going. That would have been fine but for his companion's constant chatter. The suit was hindering their progress and Lorne was getting impatient. He'd called via radio for Teyla or Sheppard to acknowledge them but so far had nothing.

"Step it up, McKay, wouldya?" Evan urged when McKay stumbled to lean against a fallen log. At this rate they wouldn't cover anywhere near enough ground before having to return to the Jumper for check in.

"I am moving as fast as I can," Rodney said defensively. "I'm very hot. Aren't you hot?"

"Actually, I'm quite comfortable," Lorne replied. "But I'm not wearing a fifty pound rubber suit, am I?"

"I can't breathe! I gotta stop!," Rodney stood and took his helmet off. "Sweet relief!" he said happily, staggering to catch up again. "I think the, uh, the fumes from the sunblock are making me dizzy. I gotta ... I gotta ... just, uh, rest here," he pleaded, stopping again and breathing heavily.

"Unbelievable!" Evan muttered, turning away. "I'll just scout ahead," he told Rodney. "Use the radio if you spot anything."

Not waiting for a reply Lorne moved forward again, looking for signs of a trail, anything to help them target their search in some way. He gave McKay five minutes, returning to find the other man still sitting on the ground.

"Okay, you've had your fresh air," he announced. "C'mon, let's go."

"Well, shouldn't we be headed back?" Rodney asked hopefully. "I mean, it must have been half an hour."

"It's been fifteen minutes," Lorne replied, "_fifteen annoying minutes_," he thought to himself.

"Oh, really? I thought ... ," Rodney trailed off, looking at his watch. "It feels longer."

"Wow - you must really be some kind of genius!" Lorne couldn't resist the comment. He was a patient guy ... _very_ patient usually ... but McKay had a way of making him forget that and Evan wondered how the Colonel had put up with him for so long.

"Well, as a matter of fact, I, um ... wait a minute," Rodney went from flattered to suspicious in one breath. "See, why would you say that now?"

"Something has to have kept Colonel Sheppard from shooting you all this time!" Evan shot back.

"Yeah, yeah, like I didn't see that one coming, huh?!" Rodney complained, insult flashing across his face.

"_I'll probably have to apologise for that_," Lorne thought, "_although _-"

The Wraith stunner blast hit him with no warning ... Lorne registered the pain in the second it took for him to lose consciousness.

* * *

Lorne woke up some time later, stretched out awkwardly on the ground where he must have fallen. He dragged himself upright, wincing at the pounding headache assaulting his skull.

That had hurt a lot more than anyone had admitted to in their reports!

Rolling to his hands and knees, Evan waited until his stomach settled before slowly pushing himself to his feet. Swaying unsteadily, he put a hand to the nearest tree, again waiting until the world righted itself as much as it was going to.

Oh God ... he was going to hurl ... the breakfast he'd hurriedly consumed on the brief trip back to Atlantis making its presence unpleasantly felt. Not sure if it was the lingering effects of being stunned or the fact that he'd been lying exposed to the heat of the planet for too long, Lorne struggled to keep everything where he'd really prefer it to stay.

"Keep it together Evan," he muttered to himself, leaning his forehead against the tree.

He hadn't noticed it before, too caught up in the search for Lieutenant Ford and then their missing people. In fact Evan probably wouldn't have noticed the stillness of the air at all, but for the faint breeze now wafting over his face.

Breathing in deeply, holding, and then exhaling slowly, Lorne finally began to feel better. Pushing away from the trees, he turned and looked around. There was no sign of their quarry ... and no sign of McKay either. "_This just keeps getting better and better_," he thought grimly.

"Coughlin, this is Lorne," Evan radioed as he turned and made his way slowly back to the Puddle Jumper. "Any word on Colonel Sheppard?"

"Sir!" Coughlin's voice echoed with relief. "You had us worried!"

"Wraith stunner," Lorne explained briefly. "How long was I out?"

"Two hours Sir," Coughlin replied. "Colonel Sheppard hasn't made contact and none of our teams have located them."

"Okay," Lorne was disappointed. "Tell the men to keep an eye out for Doctor McKay too. I'm on my way."

* * *

Sitting in the back of the Puddle Jumper, Evan let one of the marines with medic training check him out, the penlight stabbing into his eyes. Airman Reed stood guard at the rear entrance while the rest of the teams continued to search.

"You were out for longer than usual Sir," the marine told him. "Usual time for recovery from a Wraith stun is an hour, give or take a few minutes."

"Yeah, well I'll try and do better next time," Lorne returned with a frown.

"Might be the radiation," the medic offered that explanation. "You've been exposed the longest ... that might have hindered your ability to recover."

"Not to mention reproduce," Evan muttered under his breath. Looking up he saw the medic looking at him strangely. "Something Doctor McKay said," he excused lightly.

"Yes Sir," the medic nodded. "Looks like you were lucky this time Sir ... it'll probably be a few more hours before you feel fully yourself again but you're good to go."

"Wish I felt that way," Lorne frowned, still feeling groggy and unsettled. The headache hadn't abated much either ... the pounding just what he deserved for letting McKay distract him from paying full attention.

"Major," Reed's voice drew Lorne's attention. Glancing his way, Evan watched him disappearing out the back of the Jumper. Expecting him to return, Evan was pleasantly surprised to see Colonel Sheppard running into the Jumper instead.

"What happened to you?" his CO demanded.

"I got hit by a Wraith blaster looking for you Sir," Lorne admitted, on his feet but still feeling unsteady. "Now McKay's missing."

"Great!" Sheppard looked less than happy at the news.

"What about Teyla?" Lorne asked, not having missed that she wasn't with her team mate.

"Long story," Sheppard dismissed, moving to dial the Gate. "You can listen to it when I tell Doctor Weir."

"Yes Sir," Lorne replied.

* * *

The story, when revealed, wasn't what Evan had been expecting. Rather than finding Ford, Teyla and John had stumbled across a man ... Teyla had called him a runner ... and apparently the reason the Wraith had been on the planet. Sheppard had come to an agreement ... Doctor Beckett would remove the device that allowed the Wraith to track the man, and in return he would let Teyla go free.

Lorne appreciated the time it took for things to move forward ... by the time Carson arrived he was able to appear recovered, although the headache was still a constant reminder of his day's misfortunes.

Colonel Sheppard accompanied the Doctor, ordering Lorne and a team of marines to guard the Jumper and Stargate. Another team was still out searching for Doctor McKay, so far without success.

Taking up position beside the rear of the Jumper, Lorne stood guard, time dragging slowly as they all wondered how the others were doing.

"Sir! We got Gate activity over here!" Coughlin's report came in abruptly.

"I'm cloaking the Jumper, now!" Lorne announced, aiming the remote at the ship and pressing the button that saw it shimmer and then disappear from sight. Joining Coughlin at a nearby bush, the two took cover just as the Gate kawhooshed.

Lorne activated his radio to warn their people. "Colonel Sheppard, we've got Gate activity. Three Wraith Darts just came through," Evan reported grimly, watching them shoot through the event horizon and then scream away before the Gate shut down again.

"Great!" Colonel Sheppard replied. "Hold position at the Gate Major," he ordered. "I'm on my way."

"Yes Sir," Lorne replied. Breaking cover, he motioned for Coughlin to return to his previous guard position before doing the same.

Only a few minutes later, Evan heard that strange whining sound, the same one he'd heard when the Darts had arrived.

"Sir, Darts on approach to the Gate," he reported, taking cover again.

"Stop them Major!" Sheppard ordered urgently. "But _carefully_! Ford was just culled."

"Yes Sir," Lorne acknowledged. Taking aim, he waited to get a clear shot. The Darts came in fast, the wormhole kawhoosing when they were only a few metres away. Lorne fired rapidly at the cockpit of the leading ship, his men doing the same for the other two. If they could disable the pilots, it would bring down the Darts, hopefully without damaging them. Getting Ford out of storage would be another matter but at least he'd have a chance.

Bullets ricocheted off the Darts but they were moving too quickly ... no one could get a clean shot and firing a spread of bullets once the Dart had passed over them wasn't an option. Breaking off the attack Evan and his men witnessed the three Darts disappear through the Stargate, taking any hope of rescuing Lieutenant Ford with them.

* * *

Colonel Sheppard returned to the Jumper first, followed closely by Teyla, Doctor Beckett and a team of marines escorting a large man with matted dreadlocks and a fierce expression. When Doctor McKay stumbled down the path at the rear Lorne felt himself relax in relief. He'd failed to stop the Darts from taking Ford but at least he hadn't been responsible for Sheppard losing another team member that day.

"What's the radiation count McKay?" he called out blandly.

"A lot more than it was," Rodney shot back. "No thanks to you!"

"I'll consider it my service to humanity," Lorne quipped, reminding them both of Rodney's comments about reproduction.

"Har har," Rodney looked at Evan, eyes checking out his condition even as he complained. "It looks like _you _can keep little Lorne's on your to do list," he quipped.

Lorne smirked, suddenly beginning to get it. McKay was outwardly brash and complained like no one he'd ever met before but ... he'd actually been worried about Evan. The Major knew Rodney had been forced to leave him in the forest, exposed to the dangers of UV radiation and whatever else was lurking there. Where before he would have assumed the scientist had only been consumed with fear on his own behalf, now he saw there was more to him than the surface suggested.

"No damage done McKay," he confirmed lightly, giving the man a faint nod of approval.

"Ah ... good," Rodney said, awkwardly. "Can we go now?" Rodney turned back to Colonel Sheppard impatiently. "Because seriously, the U.V's are only getting stronger and my sun block wore off an hour ago."

Not waiting for an acknowledgement, Rodney pushed passed the others and rushed into the Jumper. Exchanging glances with Colonel Sheppard, Lorne grinned.

"Is he always like that Sir?" Evan asked, amused.

"You have no idea Major," Sheppard returned, rolling his eyes as he glanced into the Jumper. "Still, he's right. This is Specialist Ronon Dex," John introduced the large man casually. "Secure him in the back. Time to go home."

"Yes Sir," Lorne nodded, motioning for the marines guarding the man to move forward. As first missions went, this one had certainly been one for the books.

* * *

The trip back to Atlantis was short ... Ronon said nothing ... his expression grim. Lorne wasn't sure if the man had helped or hindered the Colonel back on that planet ... this was going to be some mission debriefing.

As soon as the Jumper passed through the Gate to Atlantis, Evan felt his awareness of the city resurging in his head. For a moment he felt sick again, the static noise he'd gotten used to clashing harshly with his Wraith Stunner induced headache. He'd hardly had a chance to plead for quiet before the city silenced itself, leaving him alone again but not like it had been on P3M-736. There it had been a complete absence of anything ... now he knew the systems were there, like a shadow that shifted whenever you tried to look at it directly.

Doctor Beckett conducted his post mission check-up himself and worked out pretty quickly that Lorne was not feeling his best.

"Headache lad??" he asked kindly.

"Just a little Doc," Lorne conceded.

"Right," Carson smiled in amusement. "Well, we'll just give you some Tramadol anyway. No point in suffering now is there?"

"I guess not," Lorne agreed.

"You're lucky not to be suffering heat stroke Major," Carson told him, going to the medicine cabinet and bringing back a small blister pack. "If you start to feel dizzy or nauseous, or that headache doesn't improve, you come back and see me."

"Sure thing Doc," Evan replied, taking the tablets and putting them in his pocket. At Carson's questioning look he shrugged. "Never could take these on an empty stomach," he admitted ruefully.

"Of course," Carson nodded. "Well, off to the Mess for you then. A meal, those tablets and then a good night's sleep should have you fit as a fiddle by morning."

"Thanks Doc," Lorne grinned, jumping off the bed and hurrying away before Carson could change his mind. Lucky for Evan, Doctor Weir had scheduled the mission debriefing for the following day to give them time to talk to and then settle their guest. He wondered about Ronon Dex ... what his story was ... but knew Colonel Sheppard would fill him in as soon as he had a chance.

* * *

Sitting at a table in the Mess Hall by himself, Evan stretched out his legs and people watched as he slowly ate a light meal. As he relaxed, his mental connection to the city pushed forward again, gentle this time as though fearful of hurting him. Lorne smirked, amused at himself for assigning a level of emotion to this awareness well beyond what could be reality.

Letting his thoughts drift along with the rippling of static humming its companionship, it took a while for Evan to realise that he was actually feeling better.

A lot better in fact.

Sitting forward again, Lorne grinned ... while he didn't believe being ATA gene connected to the city gave him that much of an edge, if tuning in with Atlantis cured a head ache he'd count it as a plus.

* * *

Lorne was awake early the next morning. Carson had been right ... after a good night sleep the Major was feeling himself again. Following his usual morning routine, Evan dressed for a workout in the gym and headed for the door.

He might not have noticed it ... his eyes drawn to a lace he hadn't tied tightly enough. Bending down just outside his door to retie it Evan saw them.

A bunch of flowers - five of them, purple, and kind of star shaped - of a variety he didn't recognise. They were tied together with a ribbon of the same colour. Picking them up as he straightened, Evan glanced down the corridor in both directions.

No one was about.

Looking down at the flowers, Lorne frowned in confusion. There was nothing to indicate who'd left them ... nothing to say they were even _for_ him apart from the fact that they'd been outside his door.

Who'd leave him flowers? And why not identify themselves?

Looking around again, Evan shrugged and then went back into his room, taking the flowers with him.

He wasn't sure why, but something made him grab a glass and some water from the bathroom. Throwing the flowers haphazardly into his makeshift vase and setting them on the table by the window, Evan stood back and looked at them for a moment.

They were actually kind of nice ... not that he'd admit it to anyone. In fact Lorne had already resolved to keep this little incident to himself. He was still pretty new to the city ... maybe someone just wanted to make him feel welcome.

Walking to his door, Evan glanced back at the flowers once before heading for the gym.

**Authors Note:**

Thank God for Gateworld dot net and their transcripts ... I used them to assist with the lines from Runner included in the last two chapters. I tried to keep these to a minimum but had to use a few to have everything flowing nicely. Some great Lorne lines there ... my fav - "Actually, I skipped that course in Major School." *grins*


	8. And never the duet shall meet?

**Chapter 8: And never the duet shall meet?**

"Major Lorne!" Evan turned to see a young, red haired marine hurrying towards him.

"Lieutenant," he replied, slowing so that she could catch up and fall into step beside him. Laura Cadman, energetic materials expert and assigned to the Daedalus had become a friend during the two weeks Evan had spent on the ship to get to Atlantis. On the surface they didn't have much in common but they'd hit it off ... Lorne seeing her immediately as a little sister stand in and falling into classic big brother behaviour with ease. Laura had reciprocated in kind, the end result being a teasing relationship still in the early stages of development.

He'd been glad when the Daedalus had returned with Doctor Weir and the others to see Cadman again. Laura's enthusiasm, not to mention her staunch loyalty and support had helped Evan settle into the role of military second in command, not the post he'd been expecting to fill when he's agreed to come to Atlantis.

The Daedalus remained in the Pegasus galaxy and would for a few weeks more ... assisting the city in settling in the increased personnel, equipment and supplies. Lorne was happy for it, both for the help in reworking duty rosters and because it gave him the chance to build on his friendship with Laura.

"What can I do for you Lieutenant?" Lorne asked when Laura remained silent.

"Okay, this might sound out of the blue but it's not like I'm not fully qualified in all the requirements," Cadman rushed into speech.

"Qualified for what?" Evan asked, cutting into the beginnings of what he knew would be a long winded explanation.

"An off world mission, Sir," Cadman said, looking up at him with a hopeful smile.

"You wanna join an off world team?" Lorne asked, surprised.

"Yes please," Cadman returned. "It's not that I don't enjoy my position on the Daedalus – I _do_ – but three weeks stuck on the ship and then another three so far equally stuck in this city is about to drive me crazy .... Sir. I could really do with some grass under my feet ... some trees ... maybe even a little wild life – _before_ I have to spend another three weeks couped up in what's nothing more than a glorified tin can."

"I see," Lorne struggled to hold in his grin, amused at her explanation. "Well ... I can't see why not. Next mission requiring additional security or back up personnel – assuming you're still here – you'll get a spot."

"Thank you Sir," Cadman grinned, looking like she was barely restraining herself from hugging him.

"Just make sure I don't regret this Cadman and we'll call it even," Lorne replied.

"Yes Sir ... you won't Sir," Cadman replied. Snapping to attention for a moment, she grinned again and then dashed down the corridor, presumably to tell one of her other friends about her good fortune.

"_If only everyone was as easy to please_," Lorne thought, smiling as he watched her go.

* * *

Luck was on Cadman's side ... only three days later they got word of a large scale Wraith culling, and quickly moved to send teams to render assistance.

"Cadman, you're up," Lorne contacted her on his way down to the armoury, having already tagged enough personnel for two teams additional to Colonel Sheppard's and his own. "Gateroom, five minutes ... full kit."

"Yes Sir," Laura replied, the excited smile he knew was on her face evident in her voice.

It was a large exodus through the Stargate ... marines, teams Sheppard and Lorne, along with Doctor Beckett all stepping through in quick succession.

"Teams of three," Colonel Sheppard ordered once everyone was on the other side, choosing to split his still three man team amongst the others.

Lorne and Coughlin went with Teyla in one direction, the rest of Evan's team staying with Sheppard while Cadman went with Rodney and Doctor Beckett.

Smoke trailed from a number of locations in the distance and each team headed towards one of them, hoping to find survivors. It didn't look good ... Lorne got the sense that the place was deserted ... either all culled by the Wraith or fled the planet fearful that the Wraith would return.

They'd searched their sector extensively and were walking through the woods back towards the Stargate when Colonel Sheppard made contact.

"Sheppard to Lorne."

"Yes Sir," Lorne replied. "Anything?"

"Nothing," Sheppard replied grimly. "You?"

"No Sir," Evan replied sadly. "Found a couple of bodies fed on by the Wraith but otherwise not a trace of anyone."

"Alright, I'm about ready to call this one," the Colonel announced. "Doesn't look like there're any survivors."

"The cullings are getting more and more intense," Teyla replied, her face grim.

"Well, you said it yourself," Sheppard pointed out. "Too many Wraith woke up at the same time. Too many mouths - or ... hands - to feed."

"Well, we're heading back to the Gate," Lorne reported. "Meet you there?"

"Sounds like a plan," Sheppard agreed. Keeping the channel open he moved to find out how the other team was doing. "McKay, Beckett. You havin' any luck?"

"Negative, Colonel, we haven't found anyone," Doctor Beckett replied.

"Make your way back to the Gate," Sheppard ordered.

"Will do. Beckett out."

"So this isn't the usual Wraith approach?" Lorne asked Teyla as they continued walking.

"No Major," Teyla agreed. "They are careful with what numbers they cull ... much as you would be for a herd of livestock. This ... taking whole populations ... is not their way."

"Our arrival here is changing everybody's lives," Evan realised, frowning at the broader implications. What else would they affect simply by being there?

"We have a Dart incoming!" Cadman's urgent voice over the open channel broke the conversation.

"If it's seen us, it will blow Atlantis' cover," Sheppard replied. "Anyone get a clear shot, you take it, understand?"

Lorne and his team broke into a run, heading for the Stargate. The sound of the Dart whining through the air reached them before they caught sight of the ship.

Motioning for Coughlin to give him the anti-tank missile launcher he'd been carrying, Lorne hoisted the weapon to his shoulder, tracking the Dart through the air as Teyla and Coughlin fired P-90 rounds at it. The Dart passed overhead, Lorne got a lock and fired a missile.

"Damn it!" he ground out, watching as the missile tracked the Dart until a stand of trees got between it and the Wraith ship. The missile hit the trees instead, Lorne's only consolation being that the shock wave from the explosion did throw the Dart off course.

"It is heading towards the Gate," Teyla reported over the radio. "We damaged it but it is still on its way."

"Wait," Doctor Beckett's urgent voice shook as though the other man were running ... which Lorne supposed he probably was. "McKay and Cadman have been beamed aboard that Dart!"

"We can't risk the Dart making it back to the hive ship," Colonel Sheppard returned just as urgently.

They all knew the stakes ... if the Wraith became aware that Atlantis hadn't been destroyed then they'd return ... nothing on Atlantis or back at Earth had been enough to hold them off last time and things hadn't changed since then.

Evan traded worried looks with Teyla as they picked up their speed, bursting out into the clearing around the Stargate just in time to see the Dart, smoke billowing from the back of it where Colonel Sheppard's bullets had presumable struck, disappearing over the rise a short distance away. Moments later came the sounds of impact followed by another plume of smoke rising up into the sky.

Laura!

Lorne sprinted across the clearing, through another stand of trees, following Colonel Sheppard towards the crash site.

The sight that greeted them when they caught up didn't inspire Lorne with confidence that McKay or Lieutenant Cadman were okay. The nose of the Dart was buried in the dirt, dead Wraith pilot slumped in the cockpit. Doctor Beckett and Colonel Sheppard stood beside it, each frozen as they contemplated the implications.

"Is everyone alright?" Teyla asked when they approached.

"We're fine," Sheppard replied, eyes resting on the crashed Dart. "Coughlin, radio Atlantis. We need Zelenka here asap. We've got a problem."

"Looks like more than just a problem to me Sir," Lorne pointed out as Coughlin headed back to the Gate to dial out.

"_Big_ problem," Sheppard emphasised. "One we need McKay to solve ... only he's not here, he's in there," the Colonel pointed grimly at the Dart.

"With Cadman," Lorne added, turning worried eyes on the Dart himself.

"Exactly," Sheppard replied. "The only plus side is they're here rather than on their way into storage on a Hive ship."

"Grim day when being stuck in a Wraith materialiser is a positive Sir," Lorne pointed out.

"Yeah," Sheppard agreed simply. "Run two teams in the surrounding area," he ordered. "No sense in letting the Wraith sneak up on us again ... and at this point I don't think we can just assume they're gone."

"No Sir," Lorne agreed, motioning for three marines to accompany him. He'd have preferred to stay with the Dart but it wasn't like he personally could do anything to get Cadman or McKay out of there. Nor was it his fault that Laura had only been on the planet in the first place because he'd granted her request to go off world ... well, at least that's what he was telling himself.

* * *

Lorne was still on patrol duty when Doctor Zelenka arrived but got the call to return to the crash site as soon as possible.

Walking quickly Evan arrived in time to hear the tail end of Radek's explanation to Colonel Sheppard.

"Power to the rematerialiser has been completely severed and emergency back-up power is completely run down," Radek said, his expression concerned.

"Okay," Colonel Sheppard nodded an acknowledgement as Lorne moved to stand beside him.

"You have to decide which one we're going to beam out," Zelenka said, pushing his laptop towards the Colonel.

"That's a terrible choice to have to make," Beckett exclaimed in dismay.

Lorne frowned silently ... that didn't sound good. "What's gonna happen to the other life sign?" he asked Radek worriedly.

"With any luck they remain inside the system," Radek replied. "With sufficient power we can rematerialise them later ... the problem will be in interfacing our power sources with Wraith technology."

"And if we're _not_ lucky?" Lorne continued, ignoring the curious look Colonel Sheppard was throwing him.

"Then ...," Radek trailed off uncomfortably, unwilling to completely write off one of their own people.

"Great!" Lorne turned away, annoyed, sure he knew what choice Colonel Sheppard was going to make and unable to think up an argument for why that should be different. "_It's not your fault she's in there_," Evan reminded himself ... knowing that feeling responsible for something wasn't a good basis for making an informed decision.

"Colonel," Radek refocussed on Sheppard. "Which one do we beam out?"

"It's easy," Colonel Sheppard said. "Beam out McKay - he'll figure out how to get Cadman free."

"No, no, no, sorry - I was unclear," Radek shook his head insistently.

"There's no way of telling which is which," Doctor Beckett explained.

"Yes," Radek agreed. "They just read as life signs."

"Perfect!" Sheppard retorted irritably. Looking at Radek's laptop screen he gestured quickly to one signal. "Alright - that one. Go." The Colonel motioned for Radek to proceed. "Stand aside," he ordered everyone else.

Radek selected the signal Sheppard had chosen and pressed enter. Lorne watched as a beam shot out of the back of the dart, moving from head height down to the ground. When it dissipated it revealed one Doctor Rodney McKay standing there, looking around in confusion.

"Rodney, you okay?" Colonel Sheppard stepped forward quickly.

"Mmm," Rodney agreed absently before keeling over and falling to the ground, obviously unconscious. Doctor Beckett rushed forward immediately, checking for a pulse.

"His pulse is stable but I need to get him back to Atlantis," Carson announced.

"Teyla, Lorne, help the Doc head back to the city with McKay," Colonel Sheppard ordered. "We're gonna stay here with Zelenka - try to bring as much of the Dart back as possible."

Major Lorne wanted to stay with the crashed Dart but knew the Colonel needed him to get McKay back to Atlantis safely. Hopefully when Rodney was awake he'd be able to help Radek rescue Lieutenant Cadman as well.

"Yes Sir," Lorne motioned for Reed to bring over a stretcher. Together they manoeuvred Rodney into position and picked him up carefully ... with Teyla taking point and Coughlin their six, Lorne and Reed hoisted the unconscious man up and began their trek towards the Stargate, Beckett hovering beside his friend the whole way.

* * *

Hours later, Doctor McKay was safely ensconced in the infirmary and Zelenka and his team were busily trying to interface power for the rematerialiser. Major Lorne felt at a loose end, no longer on duty but not really having a reason to hang around Radek's lab.

The hum of the city in his mind had shifted moments after his return ... again Evan was amused at himself for thinking that the city had sensed his disquiet and was trying to reassure him. "_I'm good_," he thought. "_I just ... geez Evan, you need to find something to do if talking to the city is sounding like a good idea!_" Shaking his head, Lorne thought for a moment and then decided on a whim to revisit the hologram room. He hadn't been there since the first time ... the load of being in charge for three weeks followed by his efforts to meld four people into a cohesive off world team while learning his new role as Sheppard's 2IC leaving him little free time.

Swiping the doors open, Evan walked inside and stepped up to the dais. Putting his hand on the console he waited for Morgan to appear.

"Welcome Major Evan Lorne," the hologram greeted him regally.

"Ah ... hello," Lorne was momentarily taken aback. "You ... remember me?" he asked uncertainly.

"User recognition is a part of my programming," Morgan replied complacently. "The subroutine was activated at the completion of our last exchange as a result of your insistence on the use of names."

"Oh ... of course," Lorne smiled. "That makes sense."

"And what do you wish to know this day, Major Evan Lorne?" Morgan asked.

"Just Evan," Lorne said. When the hologram looked puzzled ... if such a thing was possible ... he laughed. "My name ... you don't have to use first and last names or rank. Just call me Evan."

"As you wish ... Evan," Morgan replied, her expression going blank for a moment. Was she writing that into her programming? "What do you wish to know Evan?"

"I didn't have a specific question," Lorne admitted. "To be honest I just needed to kill some time ... one of the teams I assigned to go off world ran into a little trouble." Evan frowned, continuing under his breath "and there is no good reason for me to be telling you that."

"My program can access all available systems," Morgan supplied helpfully. "This includes reasoning and debating programs designed to assist the user to resolve problems and form decisions."

"The Ancients had a computer ... psychologist?" Lorne asked, raising an eyebrow in surprise.

"In a manner of speaking," Morgan replied. "The Ancients had psychologists as you call them ... but also took advantage of systems designed to be impartial and completely confidential. Do you wish to make use of these systems at this time?"

"No," Lorne chuckled. "Nothing I can do to fix this ... one of our people is trapped in a Wraith materialiser. Our scientists are working now to power it up so they can get her out."

"You show concern for the trapped individual," Morgan noted, her expression puzzled.

"Well sure," Lorne replied. "But I would for anyone ... it's part of my job and ... well, I just would!"

"But this one is ... special?" the hologram persisted.

"We're friends," Evan tried to explain. "And uh ... she was only on the mission because I caved when she asked to go off world."

"You feel responsible," Morgan concluded, her expression comprehending.

"Everyone in a position of command has to send people into danger," Lorne explained. "Send them out knowing they could get injured or worse. I wouldn't be much of a commanding officer if I didn't feel responsible for everyone I command. Doesn't mean I'm beating myself up about it," Evan shrugged, not willing to admit that he did take on board every injury, every loss. But he handled it and hopefully didn't let it affect his judgement the next time a similar situation came around.

"The Ancients researched Wraith technology extensively looking for weaknesses," Morgan supplied. "I have flagged the files pertaining to power supplies. Tell your scientists to look there."

"You have?" Lorne blinked in surprise that he'd gotten something he hadn't even asked for. "That's great ... thank you Morgan."

"You are most welcome Evan," Morgan replied serenely. "Do you require anything else this afternoon?"

"I should get this information to Doctor Zelenka," Lorne replied. "Next time."

"Next time," Morgan repeated. She stood for a moment as he looked at her and then with a blink was gone.

"This place just keeps on getting freakier," Evan muttered as he hurried from the room.

* * *

Back at Doctor Zelenka's lab, Evan hesitated for a moment, wondering how best to deliver the information he'd gotten from Morgan. Telling Radek he'd been chatting with the hologram didn't seem like a sensible idea ... but with nothing else coming to mind he'd just have to go with it.

"Doc," he called as he walked into the large room. The place was a mess ... controlled no doubt but appearing chaotic to someone without the background to understand what they were trying to do.

"Major," Zelenka looked out at Evan from around his laptop.

"Any progress on Lieutenant Cadman Doc?" Evan asked hopefully.

"You have not heard?" Radek frowned.

"Heard what?" Evan wondered if he was about to get bad news. "Is it Cadman?"

"In a manner of speaking," Radek replied. "Rodney awoke ... we are still trying to determine how but it appears that the Lieutenant is somehow trapped inside Rodney's body."

"What?" Evan wondered for a moment if he'd heard right. "Cadman is in Rodney's body? And we know this how?"

"She spoke with him Major ... inside his head," Radek revealed. "It was most disturbing ... hearing one side of a conversation. It makes no sense."

"And this?" Lorne motioned to the flurry of activity still going on around them.

"The Lieutenant's life sign still registers strongly in the materialiser," Radek replied. "If we can work a stable method for supplying sufficient power without overloading it ... we can hopefully restore Lieutenant Cadman to her own body."

Evan didn't know whether to be relieved Laura still had a chance or freaked out at the fact that she was sharing head space with Rodney McKay. "Right," he nodded, looking at the Wraith machinery for a moment before meeting Radek's eyes again. "Where's McKay now?"

"Doctor Beckett released him from the infirmary," Zelenka said, his expression taking on a hint of amusement despite the situation. "He attempted to assist our efforts but I believe the Lieutenant was most vocal in her demands for information. He could not concentrate and retired to his quarters."

"Okay, well I guess I'll just go and ... see how they're both doing," Evan decided. "Thanks for the update Doc." Turning to leave he suddenly remembered what he'd gone there for in the first place. "Look in the database Doc ... some files on the Ancient's research with Wraith power sources have been flagged. You never know - they might help."

Not waiting for a response, the Major turned and left the lab.

Radek tapped commands into his laptop and then narrowed his eyes in surprised interest. Glancing quickly back at the doorway, he watched Evan disappear from sight with a considering expression.

* * *

Lorne went straight on to McKay's quarters but didn't get an answer ... assuming the other man was exhausted from his ordeal, Evan decided to retire for the evening himself and catch up with him ... the _two_ of them the following day.

* * *

Later that evening, Evan was lying on his bed reading when his door chime sounded. Getting up he walked on bare feet to open it.

"McKay!" he said, surprised to see the other man standing there.

"Major," Rodney replied, peering over Evan's shoulder curiously. "Ah ... you got a minute?"

"Sure," Evan replied, thinking now was as good a time as any to check on him and Laura.

Not waiting for an invitation Rodney pushed past him and walked into the room, very obviously looking around curiously.

"I heard what happened," Lorne revealed. "How's Lieutenant Cadman? Is she ... you know, here?"

"You did?" Rodney seemed almost dismayed by that, before he regrouped with an awkward smile. "This is all new to me but as far as I can tell it's just me awake right now."

"So ... what did you want McKay?" Evan prompted when Rodney fell silent, back to scoping out Lorne's quarters.

"Huh?" Rodney frowned in confusion as he refocussed on Lorne.

"Why did you come knocking at my door at this time of night?" Evan spelled it out impatiently.

"Oh!" Rodney did a classic double take. "Right ... right. It's about women ... see I've got this date with Katie Brown tomorrow night and I ...,"

"You want me to give you _dating_ advice?" Evan asked incredulously.

"Not advice as such," Rodney replied. "Just what you'd do ... you know, for a first date. I'd ask Sheppard but he'd laugh and then never let me live it down."

"The first thing I'd do is make sure I was only taking myself!" Evan returned. "Reschedule it McKay ... Doctor Brown will understand."

"That'd be fine except I've already put it off a few times," Rodney admitted with a pained expression. "If I postpone it again she's gonna think I'm not interested."

"I can't believe I'm having this conversation at ...," Lorne muttered under his breath as he glanced at the clock, "almost midnight." Sighing, he relented ... the look on Rodney's face a plea for ... something. "Fine ... ask someone you like to go with you ... stop you from putting Cadman's foot in your mouth."

"Good idea," Rodney nodded happily. "Any other advice?"

"Tell Doctor Brown the truth?" Evan suggested pointedly. "She lives here ... it's not like she doesn't know weird shit happens."

"That's it?" Rodney seemed disappointed. "That's what you'd do?"

"If I were in the entirely unique position of walking around with someone else's consciousness along for the ride then yes, that's what I'd do," Evan returned with exaggerated patience.

"Oh," Rodney nodded, frowned, glanced at Lorne and then looked away.

When he repeated the performance Evan couldn't take it. "What?" he demanded.

"You seeing anyone?" Rodney asked out of the blue.

Purple flowers, shaped like stars and tied with a matching ribbon. The image flashed in Evan's head but he pushed it aside.

"No," he said simply. "Not my policy."

"You have a no seeing anyone policy?" Rodney asked in surprise.

"Yeah," Lorne drawled. "Goes with my 'no talking about it' policy ... oh, and my 'no handing out dating advice' policy."

"Oh," Rodney's disappointment was palatable. The suspicion in Evan's mind solidified as he played the conversation back in his head ... the very un-Rodney-like conversation.

"Cadman?" Lorne shot Rodney an intent look, narrowing his eyes.

"Would you look at the time?" Rodney stepped back hurriedly, his voice artificially bright. "I should ... ah ..."

Following Rodney, Evan watched with amusement as the other man bustled to the door and hurriedly swiped it open.

"Thanks for the advice Major," Rodney called out before practically running down the corridor.

"You're welcome ... Laura!" Evan called out before the door swished closed again. "What the hell was that all about?" he muttered, shaking his head before returning to his bed and his book.

One thing was for sure ... life was certainly never dull on Atlantis.

* * *

It seemed that life was never slow on Atlantis either ... Lorne's team had a mission the next day to follow up on a trading agreement with one of Teyla's contacts. The agreement itself had been made by Sheppard's team while Evan had still been back on Earth ... now it was time to execute the terms, deliver medical supplies in exchange for the wheat like crop the locals had grown for them.

The mission kept Lorne away from Atlantis overnight and into the next day. By the time he returned the situation with Cadman and Rodney had already progressed into the serious and luckily from there, with usual McKay brilliance, straight to the solution.

The Lieutenant had been returned to her own body and she and McKay were recovering in the infirmary, none the worse for wear.

"Hey," Evan strolled into the infirmary in the early evening hours, greeting Cadman with a faint smile. Glancing at the bed next to hers he wasn't surprised to see Rodney asleep and drooling on his pillow. "Not tired?" he asked Laura curiously.

"No Sir," Cadman replied, tensing just a little. "I should apologise Sir," her face took on a determined expression.

"You should," Evan agreed simply, folding his arms across his chest and waiting for her to continue.

"I ah ... I should have told you it was me the other night," Cadman rushed out. "Rodney was being stubborn and I just ...," she trailed off with a quick look his way before directing her gaze at the sheets she was twisting.

"You thought you'd take the opportunity to what – create a little mischief?" Evan asked, genuinely confused.

"No!" Laura retorted. "Permission to speak freely Sir?"

"Go ahead," Evan invited.

"You never share anything about yourself," Laura said simply. "I tell you things ... everyday stuff, gossip ... you know personal stuff about me like that I kind of like Carson ... but you're so ... mysterious sometimes. We're friends right?" she didn't wait for him to agreed before continuing. "Since we've been here in the city you get this look on your face sometimes, like you're off somewhere else. I asked you about it once but you dismissed it as nothing. So when I had the chance I just ... I assumed you were thinking about someone back home or here, but you're not are you?"

Lorne didn't know what to say at first. He wasn't one to offer up personal information ... and it wasn't because Laura was a subordinate officer. He genuinely thought of her as a friend. It just wasn't him to be that open. He considered telling her about his connection to Atlantis but the same reluctance he'd felt when contemplating telling Colonel Sheppard returned.

It wasn't time.

Focussing back on Cadman, Evan shrugged.

"No-one here, or back home," he replied. "It really _is_ nothing Laura ... I'm still adjusting to living here and sometimes I get a little distracted."

"Okay," Laura smiled, taking him at his word. He felt guilty for a moment even though technically what he'd told her was the truth ... he'd just left out the bit about _what_ was distracting him. "So ... do you really have a no dating policy?"

"Permission to speak freely revoked Lieutenant," Evan returned, grinning when she looked visibly disappointed. Relenting, he shrugged. The background to that simple question was complex – the things that had happened years ago to dissuade him from ever wanting to give too much of himself to someone else stacked against what he'd learned since – from his Mom, Elaine, Piper ... even from the events surrounding Jason Ritter's death. Deep down it wasn't as clear cut as he'd made it sound to Cadman – but it was easier for him to make it that way – to avoid awkward situations and the possibility of having to talk about himself beyond what he was comfortable with. "Yeah I do ... this is a dangerous place and the last thing I want is someone mourning me if the worst happens."

"That's just stupid ... Sir," Cadman scoffed. "One, the worst _isn't_ going to happen, and two it isn't only romantic partners who mourn. You've lost a friend ... a member of your team ... you of all people know that." Jason Ritter's demise on P3X-403 was common knowledge to anyone who'd worked at the SGC.

"All the more reason to avoid the ones you've got _some_ control over," Lorne insisted. Before she could protest again he continued. "Get some sleep Lieutenant. I'll see you back on duty as soon as Doctor Beckett clears you."

"Yes Sir," Cadman settled back in her bed, leaving Evan to walk away, lost in his thoughts.

**Authors Note:**

I've never been sure if Cadman was supposed to be a member of Atlantis or the Daedalus ... since we only see her twice in the show (which is a shame because I really liked her) I went with her being a member of the Daedalus. I should be moving on to filling in gaps rather than rehashing Lorne episodes now ... just needed to set the scene on first missions and the people he's made connections with - and there might be more of that as we go along as well if it seems necessary.

Next up - a new chapter!


	9. Appropriated but not Condemned

**Authors Note:**

Welcome back to new posts for this story! First up my apologies for taking so long to get back to this. I hope the background stories made the wait worthwhile. For those having previously read this story when I first posted it months and months ago who might not have read the background stuff please note that I have added considerably to some of the early chapters – nothing that affects the basic plot, but more to line things up with Lorne's background. I don't expect anyone to even remember what was in the previous chapters anyway, so a reread might be in order, if you've got the time and haven't done so already. Otherwise I'm sure it will all come back as you read on. Thank you for your patience!

**Chapter 9: Appropriated but not Condemned**

Part of Lorne's job was the evaluation of personnel slotted for a spot on the Atlantis expedition. Now that communication and travel between the city and Earth was again possible the SGC was very keen to maintain regular rotations. Colonel Sheppard was heavily involved in managing the military and in particular the off world aspects of their role in Pegasus and didn't have time for anything else. Plus he'd freely admitted to Evan that paperwork wasn't his forte – anything Lorne could do to help him there would be very much appreciated.

Every trip the Daedalus made some crew would go home while others arrived, putting pressure on staff in many departments. There was a kind of twelve week routine to it ... starting at week one when the Daedalus arrived and they were all heavily involved in orientation of the new crew and beginning the three week training program. Civilians would also be integrated into their respective departments while the military recruits were assigned to teams and given roles for various scenarios that regularly took place within the city. Week three was also all about resupply – working out what was needed and getting all the paperwork done before the Daedalus left.

Weeks four through six the Daedalus was en-route back to Earth so things were pretty quiet on the Earth/Pegasus connection front. There weren't any specific requirements the three weeks the Daedalus was on Earth either, so long as Atlantis could communicate its personnel and resupply requirements before the ship left Earth again. Weeks ten to twelve they worked out who was going where – assigning quarters and work stations so the new guys had somewhere to work and sleep the day they arrived.

If the right people weren't chosen, if they had to be replaced ahead of schedule, then it just exacerbated the pressure on everyone. So Evan looked at the hopefuls first – military and civilian – came up with a short list based on what was needed for each department and the qualifications of the people available, and presented it to Colonel Sheppard and Doctor Weir.

It had to be someone military checking over both military and civilians because the military were responsible for running the basic training all residents of Atlantis had to pass. There were certain things they looked for – in the psych write-ups and the fitness appraisals - that indicated an individual would be suited to the kind of life they'd lead on Atlantis. Lorne didn't pretend to be an expert on anything the civilians did in the city – which meant he spent just as much time talking to the seconds of each department as he did reading files in order to come up with that short list. It was a lot of work but it did have benefits – Evan very quickly got into the position of knowing _everyone_ in the city, and being known to practically everyone too. And he'd formed quick friendships with the deputies of the main departments, Radek Zelenka chief among them.

The nine weeks between Daedalus arrivals went quickly. Lorne had learned that after the first one when he'd had to pull a couple of all nighters to get through everything in time to give the SGC the approved list of new recruits before the cruiser left Earth. Of course it had been worth it - Daedalus arrivals always brought news from home and Evan had been as eager as anyone to take his mail - videos from Elaine and Piper and letters from his Mom and a few friends - to enjoy in the privacy of his own quarters. Being busy kept him from really thinking too much about just how far away from home he was and he'd surprised himself with how easily he'd settled into life in another galaxy. Not that he didn't miss his family - he _did_, but something about the city made that easier to bear than he'd expected.

Now more than three months into his role on Atlantis Evan had a Daedalus 'schedule' in place and had decided on a routine to make sure the key things were done at the end of each week. First in the list was getting through the stack of personnel files the Daedalus had brought with it. Evan spent a part of each day reviewing candidates ... usually in his office but every now and then he'd take a few files to the Mess Hall with him and sit on the balcony.

"Any standouts Major?"

Lorne looked up from his reading to see Doctor Weir standing beside his table. "Ma'am?"

"I see you're working through the latest batch of potential staff Major," Weir clarified.

"Yes Ma'am," Evan smiled. "Doesn't take long ... unless you leave it all 'till the last minute."

"Hard not to sometimes," Elizabeth said with a chuckle. "Other things have a way of getting attention over the routine details."

"That they do." Lorne nodded to the file and mug the city's leader was holding. "Looks like you've got some of that routine work to do too ... please Doctor, join me." He just barely resisted the urge to stand respectfully, having already been told by Elizabeth on a previous occasion that the courtesy, although appreciated, wasn't required.

"Thank you Major," Elizabeth took the seat across from him gratefully, taking a moment while she sipped her coffee to look around the Mess Hall. "It's been quiet for a few weeks," she commented softly.

"I take it that's not usual?" Evan asked. After his first mission and the drama's of Cadman getting trapped inside McKay's mind things had settled down for Lorne. The past month had allowed him to get his own bearings in the city – find a balance between his duties as Sheppard's 2IC as well as being a team leader in his own right.

"Not especially," Weir returned. A faint smile played over her lips as she looked at Lorne. "You'll probably see that for yourself before too long."

"I read all the mission reports covering the first year on the way here," Evan admitted. "Plus there's always a lot of talk every time Colonel Sheppard's team heads out."

"Yes, the Colonel does have a way of attracting trouble, doesn't he?" Elizabeth agreed blandly.

"So it seems," Lorne returned, a faint smile hovering over his face this time.

"So ... any standouts in our latest batch of young hopefuls?" Elizabeth repeated her earlier question.

"Depends on your definition of stand out," Evan chuckled. "You'd know yourself that most of the civilians are scarily qualified ... makes you feel like a hopeless drop out if you make the mistake of comparing yourself to some of them."

"I've read your file Major," Elizabeth said pointedly. "You're underselling yourself ... General O'Neill personally recommended you for Atlantis."

"Yes Ma'am," Lorne agreed. "As soon as I discovered I had the gene it was a foregone conclusion I'd end up here eventually – if contact could be re-established."

"Even with the gene therapy we still need every natural gene holder we can get," Weir agreed, referring to the fact that all new starters to Atlantis were given the gene therapy unless they had a good reason to decline. "Radek tells me repeatedly that some things just don't work as well ... that even a weak natural gene is better than a 'fake' one." She smiled suddenly. "I think he's still irritated that the gene therapy didn't take with him."

"Understandable," Evan shrugged. "We don't have enough natural gene holders, weak or otherwise, and I know Colonel Sheppard isn't always available to be ancient device activator for the entire science department."

"You would have had some experience with that yourself, wouldn't you?" Elizabeth asked curiously.

"Not really," Lorne grinned. "The personnel stuff on top of running a team keeps me pretty busy. Given a choice I think Colonel Sheppard prefers helping the scientists to doing the paperwork, not that he'd ever admit it to them."

"I'm sure that's true," Elizabeth said with an amused expression that told Evan she'd grappled with John's aversion to reports more than once in the past. "You should think about assisting sometimes anyway Major ... practice using your gene for more than just Puddle Jumper flights and opening doors."

"You think that makes a difference, practising?" Lorne asked curiously.

"I don't know," Elizabeth smiled. "But there's no harm in trying, is there?" Finishing her coffee, Weir stood. "Thank you for the company Major. I'll look forward to seeing your short list."

"Yes Ma'am," Evan acknowledged.

* * *

The fates must have been listening in to that conversation because it was only two days later that Lorne got his first taste of a proper, rescue team Sheppard mission. The city's lead team had gone on another 'visit unknown planet, see what they've got to offer' mission, the risky kind you wished weren't as necessary as they were. Even with an established connection back to Earth Atlantis still had to be self sufficient – for resources like perishable food as well as for the power they required to be able to fully defend the city. For that you needed to get out there, find allies, make trading agreements, and with any luck find an ancient facility brimming with fully charged ZPMs. So far they were doing okay on the first two, the ZPMs still feeling more like a pipe dream than something they'd actually stumble across one day.

It was that pipe dream that had driven Sheppard's team's current mission. Doctor McKay had found reference to an ancient outpost on M4F 199, a planet they'd yet to gate to. It wasn't one Teyla or the Colonel's newest team mate Ronon had been to either so they really were going in blind. As far as anyone on Atlantis knew, with a mission like that everything was going great ... until you heard otherwise.

Evan was in the mess hall with his team when the call came in.

"Major Lorne, this is Doctor Weir."

"Ma'am," Evan tapped his ear piece, holding up a hand to stop Nate Coughlin from continuing his story.

"Colonel Sheppard's team is late checking in," Elizabeth said briskly. "Have your team ready to gate out in ten minutes."

"Yes Ma'am," Lorne returned. Standing up he gathered the remains of his late lunch together. "We're up," he told the other men. "Rescue mission."

"Who is it?" Coughlin asked, already up too.

"Colonel Sheppard's team." Evan didn't need to say more - Reed and Coughlin had been around longer than him, they both knew the score. The three men moved quickly to exit the Mess, Lorne tapping his ear piece as they walked. "Lorne to Cheung," he said briskly.

"Cheung here Sir," Airman James Cheung, sometimes fourth member of Lorne's team (when a scientist wasn't required) replied.

"Meet us in the Gateroom asap," Lorne instructed. "We've got a mission."

* * *

An hour later they were walking down a path on M4F 199 that cut through a densely forested area. It put Lorne in mind of his first Pegasus mission, minus the scorching heat and annoying complaints. As with that mission they'd been unable to take a Jumper - no point in flying in when you couldn't see what was on the ground for all the trees.

As soon as they'd dialled in Doctor Weir had requested Colonel Sheppard or any member of his team respond. The silent wait for a reply had been tense - Evan becoming aware for the first time as he'd watched the city's leader just how close the leadership bonds had become between Weir and the Colonel. Not that Doctor Weir had been unprofessional - just the opposite, and yet still Lorne _knew _that she was personally concerned at John's lack of response.

"We'll find them," he'd promised before leading his team through the wormhole.

Easier said than done! The planet was strangely quiet, beyond the rustling of the leaves overhead and the sounds of their boot steps on the ground. Of their team, apart from himself Airman Dan Reed was their most proficient gene user. Lorne always assigned him 'scanner' duty, preferring to take point rather than walk unfamiliar ground with his eyes on a hand held computer screen instead of on the terrain.

"Sir, I'm picking up an energy reading," Reed reported. "Dead ahead. We should get there inside the next few minutes."

"Strong?" Lorne dropped back, reaching out for the scanner which immediately glowed brighter once in Evan's hand. About to glance down at the screen he didn't miss the way Reed partially rolled his eyes. "Something wrong?" he queried.

"No Sir," Reed shrugged self deprecatingly. "It's just a little annoying for most of us how the ancient tech lights up for you natural gene holders."

"Right," Lorne smirked. "I can't take credit for that - it's just in the blood right? Maybe you should practice more. Doctor Weir thinks that might help."

"I don't think any amount of practice will get that scanner to light up for me the way it does for you Sir," Reed replied.

"Try anyway," Lorne returned. "I know Doctor Weir and Doctor Zelenka would be very interested in the results."

"Yes Sir," Reed said with a hint of petulance that had Evan biting back a smile. Dan was probably regretting pointing out the gene thing now that it had resulted in extra work for him.

Looking down at the scanner, Lorne narrowed his eyes. "This is a pretty strong signal," he commented. "McKay must have been champing at the bit to find the source."

"There's evidence that someone passed through here recently," Coughlin offered, pointing to where the leaves were newly broken in places along the edges of the path.

"That'd be McKay," Evan said, amused. "No way Ronon or Teyla would have left that obvious a trail."

"Lucky for us then Sir," Nate returned with a grin.

Pocketing the scanner Lorne pushed forward back to point again. "We should be seeing something soon," he cautioned, raising his P-90 to the ready position. "Tread lightly and keep your eyes open."

Muted 'Yes Sir's were returned, everyone's senses heightened for whatever had resulted in Colonel Sheppard's team not returning to Atlantis. No one wanted to suggest it but there was always the chance that they'd find an answer no one wanted to live with ... thoughts about luck finally running out not far from anyone's mind.

The path led them around a bend in the trees, opening abruptly into a small clearing - one it was immediately apparent was empty of threats. "Secure the perimeter," Lorne instructed, moving forward to the only manmade feature visible. It was a small building, no more than ten by ten, with a single door and no windows. It looked Ancient in design but Evan would have known it regardless of that, because of the clearly Ancient controls in plain view beside the door.

"This is interesting," he muttered, stopping just a few steps from the door. "Lorne to Sheppard," he tried the radio, not expecting a reply and not surprised when he didn't get one.

"Should we try opening it?" Coughlin asked, moving to stand beside his team leader, the other two members of their team having taking up secure positions to guard their way back to the gate as well as the structure itself.

"Ordinarily I'd say yes but that could be exactly what Colonel Sheppard's team did and so far I'm seeing no evidence of what happened to them," Lorne replied, eyes narrowed as he considered the problem. McKay would have been rushing to open the door before Sheppard could stop him - Evan didn't' doubt that's what had happened; he just didn't have anything to suggest what might have happened next. Taking out the Ancient scanner he grimaced before putting it away again. "No help there," he explained. "Whatever's in there, it's shielded."

Moving closer Lorne put a hand to the wall beside the door controls, careful to not think 'Open' or any variation thereof. He wasn't sure what he was looking for and for the first time appreciated that he probably should have done a little more research on the ancient gene so he'd know what was actually possible. All he could tell was that yes, it was Ancient, and that there were definitely Ancient systems inside, none of them giving off 'bad' vibes.

"Reed, Cheung, stay on guard here," Lorne ordered, coming to a decision. "Coughlin, you're with me."

"You're going to open it," Nate observed, his expression controlled, ready for action.

"Yeah," Lorne agreed. "I'm thinking it's unlikely the Colonel would have let everyone crowd around the door when McKay opened it. Suggests they at least went in there without any obvious signs of danger." Moving forward he swiped a hand over the controls, thinking _open _with confident force. There was a moment's delay and then the door slide open.

"It's about time!" Rodney McKay must have been pacing impatiently on the other side because he moved quickly enough through the door that Lorne and Coughlin had to jump out of the way.

"Nice way to say thank you Rodney," Colonel Sheppard said, following his team mate outside.

"It is good to see you Major Lorne," Teyla said with her usual grace, moving clear of the door to let Ronon pass through with his own silent nod of thanks. As soon as all four people were clear the door slid silently closed again.

"Sir?" Lorne frowned, confused.

"Long story Major," Sheppard replied lightly.

"Actually it's not," Rodney turned to glare at the structure accusingly. "An Ancient building empty of anything of value lured us in and then locked us inside for no apparent reason. Lorne came along and ...," he trailed off, eyes narrowing. "Come to think of it that _is_ interesting. How did you open the door Major?"

"The same way we usually do McKay," Lorne returned blandly. He nodded to the obvious door controls. "You know ... swipe and think open. Isn't that how you got in there?"

"Ah, no, no it's not," McKay returned, turning back to look at the structure with renewed interest. "The door was open when we got here ... we walked in and it closed behind us. Even super gene over there," he gestured to Sheppard, "couldn't open it."

"Probably because you were inside," Lorne offered with a careless shrug. "Assuming it's some kind of holding facility wouldn't it make sense that the inmates couldn't just think open to get out?"

"You think it's a jail?" Sheppard asked curiously.

"An empty building in the middle of nowhere, shielded from the scanners," Lorne offered as a reply, starting to feel a little uncomfortable with the attention he was getting, particularly from McKay who was currently looking at him like he was a bug under a very large microscope. "Doctor Weir will be anxious for an update Sir," Evan changed the subject, his expression carefully neutral.

"Right, let's head back to the gate," Sheppard said decisively. "You can puzzle this one out back on base Rodney."

Sheppard took point this time, the rest of his team close behind, with Lorne's team following in the rear. When McKay dropped back to walk beside him Lorne barely held back an impatient groan.

"Something I can do for you?" he asked somewhat dismissively.

"So you just walked up to the door and thought open?" Rodney ignored the Major's obvious reluctance as well as any attempt at social niceties.

"Pretty much," Lorne agreed.

"Was there any delay before it opened?" McKay continued. "Did you feel anything unusual after you gave the command?"

"A very slight delay - microseconds," Lorne replied, "and no, nothing unusual."

"Interesting," McKay muttered, not paying attention to where he was walking. When he almost tripped Lorne grabbed his arm and hauled him upright.

"Maybe you should watch where you're going McKay," he advised helpfully.

"Right," McKay said distractedly.

"So there was nothing useful in that building?" Lorne decided since he wasn't getting rid of McKay he'd take over the conversation instead.

"No," Rodney said bluntly. "You were right about the jail thing Major. As soon as the door closed the force shield was raised."

"Like in the holding cells back on Atlantis?" Lorne asked, genuinely interested.

"Isn't that what I just said?" Rodney said impatiently. "I don't know how you knew that just from opening a door."

"Common sense Doc," Lorne smirked. "The kind of thing they _do_ teach at Major School."

"You military types never take anything seriously do you?" McKay complained.

"Not if we can help it," Evan said easily. He could see that Rodney wanted to say more but wasn't interested in cooperating, especially not if it was more questions about how he'd known that building was a jail, or how he'd opened the door. Because honestly he didn't know the answer to either of those questions! He'd blurted out the holding facility comment without thinking about where that explanation came from. Maybe it was common sense as he'd told McKay, or maybe he'd picked up a little more than he'd realised from trying to tune in to the building before he'd opened the door. Regardless he didn't want to have a conversation with Rodney where he had to admit that he'd even thought for a second that doing something like that was a possibility.

"Maybe you could -," Rodney began.

"Maybe," Evan cut him off, "but not right now." Nodding to the scientist he quickened his pace until he'd made it to the front of their procession. Engaging his commanding officer in a discussion covering some of the questions he'd needed to ask before finalising the list of new recruits took up the remainder of their trip back to the gate.

"Welcome back," Doctor Weir smiled, the relief evident on her face as she watched Sheppard and the others returning through the wormhole.

"Good to be back," Sheppard quipped lightly.

"Debrief in an hour," Weir ordered, regaining her more 'leader' like expression. "Well done Major," she nodded to Lorne and his team before turning and walking back up the steps to the control room.

"Infirmary," the Colonel reminded everyone of the standard routine, his faint smirk announcing to all that yes, once again all was right with Atlantis.

* * *

Two hours later, medical checks and a debrief done and dusted, Lorne headed for his quarters, feeling tired enough to skip dinner. The mission had begun late in the afternoon and they'd covered considerable ground during their hour long trek each way – thankfully the debrief had been short. There wasn't much to talk about when all you had to report was that you'd been mistakenly locked in a holding cell and had to wait until someone came along to release you. Rodney made some noises about going back to learn more about how they'd locked out the door so it could only be opened from the outside. Doctor Weir had vetoed that, saying it didn't further their primary objective of finding resources off world. Lorne had breathed a sigh of relief, his fears that Rodney would start adding him to the list of 'gene testers' alleviated for the time being. He barely had time to do the job he was currently responsible for, let alone adding time in the science labs to it.

He _was _tired but as Evan rounded the corner that led to his room he abruptly stopped, deciding to detour. A few minutes later he was stepping into the hologram room.

"Evan, welcome," Morgan shimmered into existence, her appearance and all purpose nature now pleasingly familiar. "How may I help you this evening?"

"Ah ... listen, did the Ancients ever do any research on the ATA gene?" Lorne asked, not sure where he was really going with his enquiry.

"I do not understand the nature of your question," Morgan returned.

"The Ancient Technology Activation gene," Evan clarified. "It's the reason we can operate the systems here even though none of us are actually Ancients."

"You refer to those aspects of the Atlantian's genetic makeup that your people, as their progeny, have inherited."

"I guess," Lorne agreed.

"For what purpose do you ask this question Evan?" Morgan asked.

"I don't know," Evan shook his head. Getting into the habit of consulting a machine when he had doubts probably wasn't his best idea. "It's okay – it's a dumb question," he dismissed, intent on leaving.

"On the contrary, it is an insightful question and you are the first occupant of this city since the Ancients abandoned it to have asked," Morgan corrected, her tone more forceful than Lorne had heard before.

"Insightful? How so?" he couldn't help but ask, his intention to leave forgotten.

"The Atlantians were well versed in genetics," Morgan explained. "What you call the ATA gene was just one of many aspects of their genetic code, the one they took advantage of to ensure only they would be able to use this city."

"Right, because obviously they had more than one gene." Lorne shook his head – it _was _obvious but strangely he'd never heard Carson or anyone else talk about any other genes they might have inherited from the Ancients.

"Yes," Morgan agreed. "The Atlantians chose this one because it was most prevalent within their population. It was extremely rare for it to be missing from any individual's gene code."

"Okay, that makes sense," Lorne agreed. "What I don't get then is why having been born with the ATA gene switched on as opposed to getting the gene therapy makes a difference to how well someone can control using the gene."

"It does not," Morgan stated simply.

"Then what does?" Lorne frowned, confused. As far as he knew there was a 'strength' element to the gene, even though as Doctor Jackson had pointed out, you couldn't necessarily measure it with a blood test. That strength determined how good you'd be at turning things off and on.

"The Atlantians were also very proficient at mental discipline and control," Morgan revealed. "This was just as important in utilising the various aspects of their genetic makeup."

"Right, like someone born with natural sporting ability still needing to learn and practice their skill," Evan nodded. "So you're saying Doctor Weir was right? If anyone with the gene, natural or not, practices then they'll get more control?"

"To some extent that is indeed true," Morgan confirmed. "However, natural ability does play a part and practice can only take an individual so far."

"That's okay – even a small amount of improvement will help the science departments out no end," Lorne grinned when the hologram actually managed to look confused. "McKay and his department are always hounding the natural gene holders to switch things on," he explained. "If they can build skills with the people they have it will take pressure off of everyone."

"Then I am glad I could be of assistance," Morgan said complacently.

"Is there any way you can draw Doctor McKay's attention to references about this without involving me?" Evan asked.

"This is possible," Morgan agreed. "Although it is not my function to question an operator of this system, for future reference in tailoring my service to you I would ask why you cannot simply tell Doctor McKay yourself."

Evan's brows rose in surprise at having his 'weakness' called out – he hadn't been expecting that! Because yeah, of course he didn't want to tell McKay himself because he knew the next words out of the scientist's mouth would be how Lorne knew, followed closely by a request to see for himself how Evan had been utilising the hologram. The Major wasn't sure what would happen after that, but a ban on using the hologram followed by a schedule of when he himself could act as gene user for the science department seemed to be predictable outcomes. It made perfect sense to Evan – he just wasn't sure how to justify it to what was essentially a computer program.

"I could do that," Lorne finally answered. "That would probably prompt McKay to start looking into how your programming works. I'm not sure on the power consumption but if it's too much he'd probably stop use of this room too. Since I'm not here that much I'd rather retain using your facilities as an option instead of losing them because McKay can't keep his tools to himself."

"Very well. I will do as you request," Morgan said after a short pause that felt to Lorne like she was actually assessing him in some way. The city had internal sensors – was it possible for the hologram system to tap into them somehow? '_Okay, you seriously need to get real_,' he told himself. '_It's a piece of software, not a person with real motives!'_

"Thank you," Lorne smiled. "See, you'd miss me if I stopped coming by with my questions," he joked.

"My system is not designed to assign expected levels of regularity to user visits," Morgan replied seriously. "Collecting user data is a primary task which requires that visitors return to utilise this facility. In order to provide the best, tailored service the system requires regular input from users."

"Well, whatever the reason I appreciate the help," Lorne concluded. "Thanks Morgan."

"You are very welcome Evan," the hologram replied.

Lorne was again about to leave but the hologram continued to shimmer in its usual position. "Do I need to shut you off or something?" he asked hesitantly, never having needed to do so in the past.

"May we ask if you intend to practice using your ATA gene?" Morgan stated.

"Me?" Lorne asked, surprised.

"Natural gene holders would benefit more than those who underwent the gene therapy," Morgan explained. "It is possible that much more can be done beyond being able to turn technology on and off."

"I'll think about it," Evan decided. Although he'd speculated about what could be done with the gene earlier that day, on reflection he was no longer sure it was a good idea. They'd been given the Ancient city of Atlantis without having to earn any of the technology it held, and while it had helped in their fight against the Wraith, not understanding what they were doing had also caused a boat load of trouble for everyone in the galaxy. Did they really want to increase the magnitude of what they could get wrong?

"Very well," Morgan said formally. "Is there anything else I can help you with this evening?"

"No, that's it," Evan replied. "Good night Morgan."

"Good night Evan," Morgan hovered for a moment more before winking out of existence.

Lorne stood in the darkened room, aware of a level of discomfort for the first time since he'd arrived in the city. He felt unsettled but he couldn't have said why. The usually background hum of Atlantis static rose inside his mind as soon as the thought occurred to him, as though the city itself were trying to reassure him that all was as it should be.

Abruptly amused at his turn of thought Evan spun on a heel and quickly strode from the hologram room. It really was time for bed because clearly he was a lot tireder than he'd realised!


	10. The CO trio Captured Converted Lost

**Chapter 10: The CO trio ... Captured. Converted. Lost**

"Damn it!" Colonel Sheppard stormed through the door of Lorne's office and threw himself into the visitors chair across from where Evan was immersed in the usual stack of paperwork. For a post so far away from home it still amazed Lorne how much administrivia made it to the base.

Focussing on his CO Evan considered the possible reasons for his visit. The preceding weeks had been difficult. Any one of a number of recent events could be at the route of the Colonel's mood since that month had been particularly hard on him personally. First the Colonel and his team were taken prisoner in a penal colony located on an island off world, one with a sickening agreement with the 'local' Wraith. It was the second time in as many weeks that Lorne and his team, along with the addition of Doctor Weir, had stepped in to rescue the lead team.

The incident was quickly forgotten when Sheppard's team discovered an abandoned Ancient facility. Initially it seemed like a dream come true for the Atlantis expedition - the potential to solve many of their ongoing problems. As those things too often seemed to do, possibility shifted into disaster with the loss of a promising scientist and the almost annihilation of both Sheppard and Doctor McKay. It was an event that shook the city's leaders, one that would have long reaching consequences already evidenced by the Daedalus delaying its scheduled departure to revisit protocols, something Lorne knew Colonel Sheppard was less than thrilled with.

"Sir?" Lorne had already learned that a non committal response usually got more of the story from his CO than specific questions would have. Sheppard liked to volunteer the information instead of having it 'interrogated' out of him and the style suited Evan's own natural preferences too.

"The next time I decide to support one of McKay's harebrained schemes schedule me for a visit with Doctor Heightmeyer ... it'll be a signal that I've completely lost my mind!"

"He's still defending his actions on Doranda?" Lorne asked, well aware of what had transpired during the scientist's attempts only days before to resurrect the Ancient's project Arcturus. He'd been left in command of the city while Sheppard and teams of scientists worked over the span of weeks to first assess the facility and then get it up and running.

"Oh yeah," Sheppard emphasised that with a shake of his head. "He practically destroyed an entire solar system and all the guy can do is correct me – keeps reminding me it was only five sixths, like that matters! We're just lucky those planets were uninhabited."

"But that's not why you're angry, because of the destruction," Lorne made that deduction without thinking first about whether he should say it aloud, earning a narrow eyed look from his commanding officer. "Not that that isn't something to be angry about Sir," Evan hastened to add.

"Not that," Sheppard agreed blandly. The two men were still getting to know each other, still filling in the blanks that everyday life and the occasional rescue mission couldn't reveal. "So why am I angry then?" John challenged.

"It's not really my place to draw conclusions pertaining to the members of your team Sir," Lorne replied more formally.

"Let's just say today it is," Sheppard countered. "Major?" After a few moments of silence he made Evan's rank his insistence that Lorne speak up.

"Right, sure, okay," Evan gathered his thoughts quickly and then spoke. "In your place I'd be understandably worried about the scale of destruction Sir ... but I'd be angry at having my trust in a team mate used to manipulate the circumstances so said team mate could 'get what they wanted' ... Sir," Evan trailed off, waiting for a reaction from John.

"And what would you do about that anger Major?" Sheppard asked without expression.

Lorne looked at his CO intently but couldn't decide why the question was being asked. Sheppard wouldn't ask unless he genuinely wanted to hear an opinion though – testing someone just for the sake of it when real life provided enough opportunity to measure the mettle of everyone wasn't John's style. "I think I'd be inclined to ... wallow in it for a while Sir," Evan replied blandly, "just long enough so that all the consequences of that kind of thinking could be fully felt." Taking a chance he made it a little more personal. "Anyone can see Doctor McKay rates your trust pretty highly Sir. He's smart enough to understand the damage he did to that – and to work out he's gonna have to earn it back."

Nodding, Sheppard frowned, eyes intent on where he had his boots stretched out in front of him, although clearly his mind was elsewhere.

"I can understand the lure," the Colonel finally commented. "A power source that could have meant we'd be able to defend this city indefinitely – that's the pipe dream right there. Hard not to jump on any chance, no matter how remote, to make it a reality."

"Doesn't mean you can't hammer home the message Sir," Evan pointed out. "Better now than when it's a _full _solar system or even just one planet that _is_ populated." He hesitated a moment and then added. "If it were me I probably wouldn't wallow for too long though."

"Oh?" Sheppard looked at Lorne curiously. "Why's that?"

"From what I've read Sir it just strikes me that Doctor McKay needs a certain level of ... arrogance," Lorne offered. "Not every day, but under pressure definitely. You erode his confidence too much and he'll be questioning himself instead of coming up with the quick solutions when we need them."

"From what you've _read_?"

"Ah ... I might have read all the mission reports Sir," Lorne admitted, feeling embarrassed for some reason. "It was a long trip from Earth Sir," he added unnecessarily.

"Time well spent Major," Sheppard chuckled. "And don't worry – I think I know how to handle McKay."

"I'm sure you do Sir. I heard Doctor Weir actually yelled at him in her office," an almost smile lurked on Lorne's face. "That would have been interesting to witness."

"Yeah, Elizabeth wasn't impressed," John grinned. "Kinda sucks that Caldwell had to rescue us though," he muttered, shooting Lorne a quick look. "Just between you and me."

"Of course Sir," Lorne held in an amused smile, something he was already seeing would become a habit with his CO. The other man had an irreverent way of looking at the world that reminded Evan a little of General O'Neill, although Sheppard had a unique perspective that was all his own, one that often appealed to Evan's own sense of humour. He was getting a lot of practice at putting on his 'game' face.

"Right," getting up suddenly Sheppard was almost at the door before he spoke again. "Thanks Major."

"Anytime Sir," Lorne replied, watching the Colonel's departure with a puzzled frown that quickly turned into a grin. Evan had never worked for a CO who was so laid back and casual about the chain of command, never had one who'd asked for an opinion in such an unstructured way either. But that's exactly what Colonel Sheppard had done. If that wasn't an indicator that Lorne had found a real place on Atlantis then he didn't know what would be!

* * *

Lorne might have been forgiven for thinking that something on the scale of Doranda would be the worst thing he'd see in Pegasus for a while. But little more than a week later they were immersed in an even more intense situation. Colonel Sheppard returned from a mission with a simple scratch wound that veered sharply into an unexpected manifestation of Doctor Beckett's Wraith retrovirus. The city's military leader was almost lost inside a Wraith-like exterior before a cure was created. The whole thing felt like too close a call - the events troubling and a little scary for everyone.

What had happened to Sheppard was bad but it wasn't the worst of it. Lorne's failed mission to find a cure resulted in the loss of two good soldiers, the first since Evan had been on Atlantis. He didn't have a chance to acknowledge it when it happened, given the urgency of Sheppard's situation. In the end it took the Colonel himself braving the Iratus bug den for eggs before Carson could manufacture a cure and return Sheppard to himself.

Once assured that his CO would recover, Evan sat down to write letters to two families whose son's wouldn't be coming home. He expressing his regret at their loss ... admitted that he'd not had the chance to personally get to know each man as much as he would have liked ... affirmed that they'd died bravely in the service of their country ... all the while knowing nothing he wrote would really make a difference.

Lorne was so consumed with what had happened that a second bunch of flowers, there waiting at his door when he got back from Iratus Bug Hell, didn't even make a dent in the direction his thoughts were taking. He'd stopped, frowned down at them and then picked them up, depositing them on his bedside table absently and then not giving them a second thought. Maybe the gesture could have offered some level of comfort but he didn't want that - he wasn't ready to be let off the hook over the loss of two good soldiers.

Even a week later Evan could still hear the sound of thousands of creatures moving in the darkness and that chittering, talking noise they made.

He could still hear the sound of Walker and Stevens crying out in agony before he'd pulled the pin and ended it for them.

He relived that moment when he'd called for the two men to get out of there, when he'd realised they weren't going to make it, over and over. He'd thrown that grenade to ensure the safety of everyone else but it didn't help him feel better about the failed mission. The entire experience bothered him – as it _should_. That had been _his_ mission – Stevens and Walker's deaths _his_ responsibility - but no amount of reflection and analysis shed any light on how Lorne could have avoided the tragedy.

He'd thought and rethought every action taken but couldn't see where he could have done something to get a different result, aside from not taking the mission in the first place. He'd made the decision to leave Reed and Coughlin back on Atlantis to 'guard' Colonel Sheppard - would it have made a difference if he'd taken his own team or would he be staring down the barrel of a deeper grief at the loss of two men he knew a hell of a lot better than Walker and Stevens? Lorne just didn't know ... one minute Carson was cautiously approaching that egg sac, the next they were running for the exit already too slow to completely avoid disaster. Lorne pulled the plug on the mission then, despite Carson's protests, but it wasn't enough that more lives weren't lost.

After days of reflection Lorne was forced to conclude that the mission was what it was, the end result locked in as soon as they'd decided to pursue that course of action. It was a tough pill to swallow to realise that in Pegasus, even more than back on Earth, many things would be outside Lorne's control even though they were part of his command. All he could do was make sure he had as much information as possible and that he learned whatever lessons he could glean from every mission.

Perhaps luckily for Atlantis the Daedalus was still at the tail end of its extended visit when Sheppard fell 'ill' and Colonel Caldwell stepped in to run the city through the crisis and John's recovery. Evan appreciated working with Caldwell but admitted internally that he much preferred operating as Sheppard's second in command. The atmosphere was just that little bit more relaxed while still making sure all things military moved as they should. John also seemed to trust Lorne more than Caldwell, not seeing the need to look over Evan's shoulder every five minutes, nor impose pointless structure on activities that already worked well. That being said, Lorne was happy to sign off the last report and forward it to the Daedalus 2IC, happy that it flagged the ship's departure and the return to business as usual.

* * *

Evan thought back to those prior events when a couple of weeks later Sheppard's team went missing again. This time it wasn't just a few hours or even a few days ... and it wasn't one relatively simple mission to rescue them. The Colonel's team had vanished without a trace and Atlantis was stuck running intel mission after intel mission searching for some kind of clue to their location.

Doctor Weir became concerned immediately – Lorne could see the strain on her growing each day that passed without news. He'd gotten to know her better during the Colonel's previous troubles and his regard for her had grown as he'd watched her struggle to deal with situations no one could prepare for.

He stepped up behind the scenes to help however he could, making sure anything that had to be done in Colonel Sheppard's absence was done without calling attention to it. He also led many of the missions sparked any time they got word from one of their contacts that someone knew something about John's team. Evan didn't want to think the worst but the more time that went by without finding their missing colleagues the more likely it was that they just _wouldn't_. That wasn't acceptable ... Lorne wasn't sure what he'd have suggested to push things forward but the prior day they'd received word that Teyla and Ronon had been seen on M77-273 and he and his team were geared up for the mission to check it out.

"Major, is your team ready?" Doctor Weir asked as she completed her descent from the control room to the Gateroom floor.

"Yes Ma'am," Lorne nodded respectfully. He could almost see the cloud of worry that hovered over the city's leader and felt compelled to say something reassuring. "Intel looks promising."

"Yes, but then so did our prior attempts," Weir replied, not negatively but simply stating the facts.

"True," Lorne gave her a faint smile. "Means we're due a break, right?"

"Let's hope so Major," Weir nodded. "Good luck."

"Ma'am," Lorne gestured for his team to precede him to the open wormhole, nodding to Elizabeth himself before stepping through to follow them. He noticed the surge of 'static' from his connection with the city just before he made contact with the event horizon but was already committed to moving forward.

"_Get Down! Get Down!_"

Coughlin's yelled warning came too late. Lorne literally walked into the bullet – his forward momentum against the velocity of the projectile like two opposing forces clashing with his body in the middle. It dropped him where he stood, gravity taking his body backwards so that he landed on the ground inside the Stargate mere moments after the wormhole dissipated.

"Sir!" Coughlin did a rapid look and check to see where his team leader was – catching sight of boot soles in front of the gate. "Damn it!" Looking to where Reed huddled behind the DHD he yelled an order. "Reed – give me some cover fire!"

Reed shifted the aim of his P-90, firing a rapid burst across the clearing that lay between them and their unknown assailants.

Coughlin reacted immediately, leaping up and sprinting, huddled as low as he could get, back to the gate. "Sir," he said again, dropping down to Lorne's side, eyes tracking over his team leader to assess the situation. The Major appeared to be unconscious but was breathing evenly, despite the rapidly growing burst of bright red blood high on the grey jacket he wore. "Sir," Nate repeated.

"Ouch," Lorne groaned out, opening his eyes to the relief of his second. "What the hell?"

"It was a trap Sir," Coughlin said, ripping open a pocket on his vest and pulling out a field dressing. Applying it quickly he then wrapped Lorne's shoulder and tied the bandage as tight as he could get it, worried about the amount of blood Evan seemed to be losing. "They were waiting in the trees – opened fire as soon as we came through. There wasn't time to warn Atlantis."

"Reed and Cheung?" Lorne queried, focussing on the business at hand instead of the mess of pain that was his right shoulder.

"Both okay. Reed's covering the gate. Cheung has our six."

"How many?" Evan took a preparatory breath and then, with a hand over his wound, sat up. He actually felt the blood dropping from his face, leaving him lightheaded. Black around the edges, low blood pressure ... early indicators of the expected shock he hoped to avoid.

"Sir?" Coughlin maintained his position, still protecting his leader while Reed and Cheung continued to lay down fire to discourage a closer attack.

"Still here," Lorne gathered himself and pushed down the feeling of weakness that told him the bullet had probably hit something important. Funny thing that – he would have been better off if he'd taken the hit lower where the Kevlar in his vest could have done its job. It wasn't the first time he'd copped a bullet on the way to or from the gate either – in fact if he didn't know better he'd think there was some kind of invisible target painted on him with instructions to aim there. At least this time it was his right shoulder – more scars but less chance of lasting damage given it'd taken a few weeks of PT to recover when he'd caught a bullet in Afghanistan. "How many are we up against here?"

"Hard to say," Coughlin reported. "They don't have us surrounded so I'm guessing five or six."

"Enough to keep us pinned down," Lorne concluded. "We need to dial Atlantis ... and draw attention away from the gate so we can get through." Running over his mental inventory of the standard equipment he grinned. "Stun grenade?"

"Yes Sir," Coughlin grinned too, ripping open a different pocket and pulling out the weapon, more popularly called a flash bang on account of the blinding white light and hearing distorting noise it created. "You okay to move Sir?"

"Too bad if I'm not Sergeant," Lorne nodded back to the gate, both men aware that they were inside the 'kawhoosh zone'.

Evan's shoulder was throbbing with each heart beat and he could still feel the blackness waiting to descend but giving in to it wasn't an option. Rolling to his knees he got his feet under him and pushed up enough to crouch. Running in that posture, pale faced and grim with the effort with Coughlin beside him, Lorne covered the distance to the DHD in seconds. Bullets pinged against the gate, dust puffing up from the ground a few steps away, but they made it there without further injury.

"Dial Atlantis," Evan ordered Reed, nodding for Coughlin to replace him on cover fire duty. "Cheung," Lorne called out over the noise of more gunfire. "Fall back to the DHD!"

In moments the wormhole was connected, just as Jimmy Cheung dropped down beside his team mates. It was crowded but they wouldn't need to be there for long.

"Atlantis, this is Major Lorne," Evan began.

"Major?" Evan could hear the frown in Doctor Weir's voice.

"We've run into a little trouble here Ma'am," Lorne explained. "We're gonna drop a distraction but I'd recommend clearing the area in front of the gate – we could still be coming in hot."

"Understood Major," Elizabeth said briskly. "The shield is down."

"Right," Lorne looked at Coughlin expectantly. "On three."

The two of them pulled the pins on their stun grenades, waited for the count and then lobed the weapons over the DHD, all four of them immediately turning their heads away and covering their ears. The noise of two stun grenades going off still set their ears to vibrating, the flash hopefully blinding their assailants.

"Go!" Lorne ordered.

Reed and Cheung reacted immediately, jumping up and sprinting to the wormhole, disappearing quickly. Coughlin also jumped up, reaching down and grabbing Lorne's elbow to haul him up too. Evan decided not to protest his liberal interpretation of orders, grateful for the jump start. Keeping up with his second, the two men cleared the event horizon together.

"Shut it down!" Lorne yelled, looking up to the control room even as he noticed a host of things all at once. The armed guard off to one side, Elizabeth Weir striding down the steps, his team spread out in front of him, and mental static that berated him for completing that step through the gate when the city had tried to warn him not to.

The shield flashed up as the wormhole vanished, leaving the Gateroom strangely silent for a few moments, only the sounds of Lorne's team breathing hard registering. Inside his head Evan pleaded for silence, his physical concerns too pressing for him to be able to concentrate on the mental aspects. "_Later_," he promised, feeling slightly ridiculous at the thought.

"Major Lorne," Doctor Weir appeared in front of the team, her eyes moving from Evan's face to his shoulder, her expression shifting immediately to concern. "Medical team to the Gateroom," she ordered.

"Not necessary Ma'am," Lorne protested.

"You're wounded Major," Elizabeth pointed out sternly.

"Yeah, but I can walk to the infirmary when we're done here," Lorne persisted. He ruined the 'I'm a tough guy, I can take anything' image by swaying slightly, revisiting that light headed, shocky feeling.

"No need for that Lad," Carson strode onto the scene, medical bag in hand. He took in the situation with one glance. "That looks like a nasty wound there Major," he urged Evan to take a seat on the steps leading up to the control room, squatting down beside him, blood pressure cuff already in hand.

"What happened Major?" Elizabeth asked, distracting Lorne from Carson's work.

"No idea Ma'am," Lorne admitted. "At a guess I'd say the intel was false, designed to get a team from Atlantis to that planet. Didn't catch more than a glimpse of who attacked us though. Coughlin, what about you?"

"I saw enough to suspect Genii Ma'am," Coughlin answered. "Grey uniforms, consistent weaponry, underhanded tactics."

"Genii," Lorne agreed, once again glad he'd taken the time to read all those reports on the way to Atlantis. He glanced at Elizabeth with a frown. "If we can't trust our intel it's going to seriously impact on our ability to find Colonel Sheppard and the others."

"You won't be going anywhere Major," Doctor Weir reminded him.

"It's a clean through and through," Beckett offered, busy assessing Lorne's wound. "You've lost a lot of blood Major and your pressure's a little low but with the proper treatment you should be right as rain in a week or two."

"Maybe I could still -," Lorne began.

"Infirmary," Weir ordered firmly.

"Right," Evan conceded, realising there was no point in arguing, particularly since he felt like shit and wanted nothing more than to lie down and switch it off for a few hours.

"Major," Carson guided Lorne to the stretcher he hadn't noticed arriving, assisting him to lie down. The trip to the infirmary passed in a blur of Atlantis ceilings and concerned faces until the Doctor had him set up in a quiet corner of the medical bay.

"I'll just prep for surgery," Beckett advised. "Feel free to sleep Major – we'll wake you up when we need to."

"Thanks Doc," Lorne said gratefully.

"Gentlemen," Carson looked at Coughlin, Reed and Cheung, all having followed Lorne to the infirmary. "Nurse Harper will conduct your post mission checks and then it's food and rest for all of you. I'll let you know when the Major is receiving visitors." His tone brooked no opposition and all three men nodded, resigned to doing what they were told.

"Thanks for getting me back here guys," Lorne told his team before they could move away.

"You'd have gotten here by yourself Sir," Coughlin countered.

"Probably not with as much style though," Reed murmured, earning a grin from the Sergeant and a muffled chuckle from Cheung.

"Right ... remind me again why I keep you guys around," Lorne joked weakly.

"Because we make you look good Sir," Coughlin reported, serious soldier face in place.

"Oh yeah," Lorne laughed and then pressed a hand to his shoulder when it throbbed painfully.

"Out!" Carson ordered, making shooing gestures. "You," he pointed at Lorne, "rest!"

Still grinning Evan closed his eyes ... between one breath and the next he let the darkness claim him.

* * *

He dreamt but it was stranger than any dream he'd had – that he could remember anyway. He was standing in a random room somewhere in the city having a conversation ... with no one. The room was empty and he couldn't see anyone he could be talking to and yet he was doing just that, and getting responses back too.

"_Wormhole diagnostics indicated a problem at the destination coordinates, resulting in a warning to halt departure being delivered. A warning that was ignored – unwisely as it resulted in your injury."_

"_Ah ... that would be because I didn't get the warning," Lorne defended himself._

"_Because you do not listen as fully as you are capable of. One system recommended practice in utilising your genetic compatibility with this city's systems but to date you appear not to have done so."_

"_I've been busy," Lorne felt defensive again. "Are you like the hologram program?"_

"_Your subconscious is utilising something you are comfortable with to answer questions that concern you at this time."_

"_That makes – wait," Lorne frowned. "I'm dreaming about explaining why I'm dreaming about something? That makes no sense! It's like one of those scenes with a picture showing the same thing, with a picture inside that also showing the same thing, to infinity."_

"_You are free to awaken whenever you like."_

Eyes snapping open, Evan didn't recognise his circumstances for a second before memory rushed in to fill the void. Infirmary. Gunshot wound. _Again_. Mission to find Colonel Sheppard's team. Failed. _Again._

"Ah good, you're awake," Carson's cheerful voice drew Lorne from his internal musings.

"What's the damage Doc?" he asked.

"As I expected Major," Beckett said, happy with what he had to report. "The bullet passed straight through – minimal tissue damage which I repaired during surgery. You nicked an artery though, explaining the larger than usual blood volume lost. We've already transfused you for that but you'll probably feel tireder than usual for a day or two yet. You'll be sore for a few days too – no training, no strenuous exercise, and no offworld missions. You agree to that and I'll release you for light duty tomorrow afternoon."

"I guess that's as good as I could have hoped for," Evan conceded.

"I'm sure we'll find Colonel Sheppard and the others soon," Carson offered reassuringly. "Either that or they'll find their way back to us. The Colonel is very innovative and Rodney is quite brilliant at implementing his solutions." Carson narrowed his eyes sternly. "And if you tell Rodney I said that I'll make a permanent note in your file about additional, post mission shots."

"Wouldn't dream of it Doc, even without the threat," Lorne said, amused. Rodney McKay certainly inspired a unique form of friendship, as evidenced by Colonel Sheppard and Doctor Beckett. Was that a factor of Atlantis or of the man himself?

"Try and get some rest Major," Beckett advised, finishing making a note in Evan's chart and moving back to his office.

Lorne settled back again, letting himself relax. Immediately the static of Atlantis' ancient systems rose up to greet him, thankfully without the dialogue his subconscious had supplied in his dream.

"_I'm okay_," he thought, ignoring the weird familiarity of talking to himself like that. "_Not a headache this time so I'm guessing there won't be a 'gene' solution._"

The static shifted to regretful before subsiding, presumably so Lorne could get the rest Beckett had ordered. Lorne started to think about the weirdness scale on Atlantis continually rising but then stopped himself. Time to stop thinking like that and just realise that this was the city, this was his life here. It was just a different kind of normal – _his_ kind.

Still, he was curious about something he'd thought in his dream. _Had _the systems picked up the danger on M77 273? Was that something they could make use of in the future? Resolving to talk to Radek about it as soon as he could Evan closed his eyes again, falling quickly back into sleep.

* * *

True to his word Carson released Evan early the next afternoon, his shoulder wrapped tight and his arm in a sling for support. The Doc had approved him to return to light duty the following morning, the list of do's and don'ts sternly stated so there was no room for creative misunderstanding. Lorne walked slowly back to his quarters, mind full of plans for what he could still do to further the search for his CO. He had his eyes on the floor so this time he noticed them immediately - the same purple flowers, like stars with green leafy tails, tied with a narrow ribbon and laid carefully just outside his door.

Evan stopped to glance up and down the deserted corridor before bending to pick up the bouquet. He'd straightened almost to standing before he registered the faint clunk that said something had dropped to the floor. His eyes caught the sparkle of reflected light and he bent down again, picking up the tiny item. Standing Lorne opened his door and strode inside, dropping the flowers on his desk before moving closer to the window and opening his hand.

Nestled in his palm was a small blue stone, polished until it gleamed in the light streaming through the window. It wasn't just one shade, but rather a swirl of darker and lighter blues creating a depth his artists eyes wanted to sink into. It was almost perfectly round, like a small marble, and felt heavier than its size would suggest. It was beautiful and unique and ...

... and he had no idea what it was or what it was supposed to represent.

No idea who'd left it outside his door ... or when.

No idea why.

Deciding that this time he'd look at the security tapes for his floor, Evan placed the stone on the shelf over his desk, found the same vase and some water for the flowers and put them on his desk too. He stepped back for a moment and regarded the gifts, his expression unreadable. And then he pushed it from his mind, settling on his bed for the nap Carson cautioned him to take while he could.

It wasn't a mystery he was going to solve right there and then and maybe that was a good thing. Right now the flowers were just an interesting diversion – an amusement. Once he took it further and tried to find out the source he'd have to deal with the result and, being honest with himself, Evan was in no hurry to do that. They still had to find Colonel Sheppard and his team and that was Lorne's only priority.


	11. The good kind of Hive

**Chapter 11: The good kind of Hive**

A week later Colonel Sheppard still hadn't been found. With no new leads and all the most likely planets from Radek Zelenka's fifty gate addresses already checked they were down to checking out the less likely ones. That included M99 699.

"It's a space gate Radek," Lorne pointed out, absently rubbing at his healing shoulder as he squinted at the display screen the scientist was operating.

"Yes," Radek said simply. "But it was dialled from the planet Colonel Sheppard's team went missing from. Perhaps whoever took our people had flight capability."

"Hang on, didn't you tell me when you mined those addresses that you weren't sure they were even right?"

"This is true Major," Radek admitted. "And in all likelihood the Colonel will not be on whatever planet that gate is orbiting but ...," he trailed off, pushing his glasses up his nose as he waited for Lorne to finish that sentence.

"But we've got nothing else," Evan concluded, "and Colonel Sheppard did have a Puddle Jumper."

"Precisely," Radek folded his arms across his chest, frowning at his screen. "Perhaps when the Daedalus returns we can utilise their greater scanning capabilities but until they arrive there are few options. Unless you have additional intelligence to add from the database?"

"Ah," Evan frowned for a second before realising what Radek was asking. Had he 'discovered' any more files in the Ancient database that could help with this crisis, like he'd done when Cadman had been stuck in McKay's head? "_Oh! _Ah- no, no. That was a one time deal - a fluke. I'll leave the database research to the experts."

"Perhaps you undervalue your expertise Major," Radek said softly. "The information you found on Wraith materialisers was instrumental in helping Doctor McKay and Lieutenant Cadman."

"Yeah, well I kind of had help," Lorne admitted. Not waiting for Radek to ask 'from who?', he kept talking. "Listen, I'll take this space gate planet to Doctor Weir," he said, already starting for the door. "If it doesn't pan out _then _we can think about doing something different."

Once clear of Radek's lab, Lorne headed straight for Elizabeth's office. He paused in the doorway before the city's leader noticed him, assessing what he could of her mood from her demeanour. He regretted now the cavalier attitude and mild teasing he'd greeted her original concern for Atlantis' number one off world team with, even though at the time it had been justified. Of all the gate teams Colonel Sheppard's _was_ the one most often missing their regular check-in's ... in fact they were famous for it.

"Ma'am," Evan said respectfully.

"Major, come in," Elizabeth said with an easy smile. "Any news?" Even though she hovered over every dial in and every transmission they received, Elizabeth still greeted each of his visits with the same words.

"Ah, no ma'am," Evan replied a little awkwardly. "No new leads. We've also crossed all the most likely planets off Doctor Zelenka's list."

"And the unlikely ones?" Weir asked blandly.

"That's why I'm here," Lorne admitted. "It's a long shot but one of the addresses Zelenka pulled from that DHD was to a space gate."

"You think Colonel Sheppard was somehow forced to fly the Jumper through to a planet with an orbiting Stargate?"

"It's an idea," Lorne shrugged. "To be honest Ma'am we don't have much else to go on and sitting around doing nothing isn't an option."

"No," Elizabeth regarded her acting military commander thoughtfully. Lorne had done an exemplary job during John's absent. He had a way about him that was quietly competent but approachable. The men liked him and, unlike when Colonel Caldwell had been in charge, Major Lorne made no attempts to 'make his mark' on city procedure. In fact he made it clear with unassuming consistency that he was a reluctant holder of the office who fully expected Sheppard to return, the sooner the better. Still, no matter how impatient Lorne was Elizabeth couldn't in all good conscience allow him to ignore medical advice to go out and search.

"How's your shoulder Major?" she asked casually, well aware that Lorne hadn't returned to full duty yet.

"Good enough ma'am," Lorne replied evasively.

"Is that your diagnosis Major or Doctor Beckett's?"

"Ah ...," Evan looked down to the floor for a moment, before raising his eyes to hers. "To be honest Ma'am I've still got a ways to go but I _am_ fit enough to lead this mission. I wouldn't ask if I thought my presence would risk its success."

Elizabeth remained silent for a few moments, considering the alternatives, while Lorne waited silently.

"Very well Major. You're cleared to go and check it out," she held up a hand when Lorne went to speak, "on the proviso that you talk to Doctor Beckett first and that you follow any restrictions he sees fit to impose, to the letter. Understood?"

"Yes Ma'am. Thank you Ma'am," Lorne smiled slightly, taking that as his cue to leave before she changed her mind. Stopping at the door he turned. "Any further word on when the Daedalus will arrive?"

"They're pushing the engines," Weir replied, "but it could still be a couple of days before they get here."

Nodding Evan continued on his way, radioing his team to meet him in the Jumper Bay in half an hour. At the infirmary he spotted Carson sitting in his office and headed straight over. "Doc, got a minute?"

"For you Major, of course," Carson smiled, motioning Lorne to have a seat. 'What can I do for you lad?"

"Reinstate my off world pass," Evan replied bluntly.

"You're recovering well Major but I don't think that's wise," Carson frowned, watching Lorne with concern. "You know better than most that gun shot wounds are a serious business lad. Besides, there's no way you're anywhere near back to full strength."

"Look Doc, it's reconnaissance," Lorne explained earnestly. "I'll by flying the Jumper and looking, probably in vain, for someone to ask about Colonel Sheppard's whereabouts. There's minimal chance I'll even be getting out of the pilot's chair."

"Do you know how many times I've had someone in here telling me it was just a routine mission Major?" Beckett asked. "Enough to know there's no such thing, not here."

"I know," Lorne sighed, looking at Carson hopefully. "I'm going stir crazy sitting around waiting for something to happen Doc. I need this – I'll be careful, I promise."

"I'm not sure Colonel Sheppard will appreciate it if you cause yourself permanent damage because you were too impatient to wait Major," Carson said firmly. "In any case it might not be fully up to me," he warned. "Elizabeth will listen to my recommendation but ultimately the decision to approve an off world mission is hers."

"Great, then you'll sign off on my going," Evan grinned, watching as the penny dropped for Beckett.

"You already spoke to Elizabeth," Carson concluded after a moments pause. "Bloody hell Major – why didn't ye tell me that up front?"

"Didn't seem right Doc," Lorne shrugged. "Come on, you were leaning towards clearing me, right?"

"Don't be presumptious lad," Carson motioned for Lorne to follow him. "Let me check your shoulder first. If I'm happy with your progress _and _you promise to follow my instructions, then you can go."

"Thanks Doc," Evan said gratefully, knowing he was as good as on the mission.

* * *

Lorne managed to beat his team to the Jumper Bay by a few minutes. They arrived while he was prepping the ship for a departure, settling into their usual seats with the kind of casual chatter that went with such a mission.

"Dial M99 699," Lorne requested of the Control Room technician, waiting for confirmation that the procedure was in progress before powering up the Jumper.

He manoeuvred it into position to be dropped down in front of the already open wormhole. Not that he'd admit it but a part of him was buzzing with the excitement of what he was about to experience ... his first trip through a space gate ... his first flight in space. Sure, he'd travelled to Atlantis on the Daedalus so technically he'd already experienced that first space flight but ... well, the Daedalus was huge and since he'd spent his first few hours in the infirmary being checked over by the ship's doctor and scheduled for rehab sessions he'd missed that moment when he could have sat in front of a window and watched as the Earth slowly receded from view.

As the Jumper burst from the wormhole into space on the other side of the gate, as he felt zero gravity have an effect on the inertial dampening systems, Evan grinned. He'd been right - the Daedalus didn't count as his first space flight. _This _was it ... and it was everything he'd ever imagined and more.

"First time Sir?" Reed's low voice had him looking over to his co-pilot quizzically. "In space Sir," Airman Reed clarified.

"Yes it is," Lorne agreed easily, turning his attention back to the front window. The blackness of space was broken by the pinpoints of stars too distant for them to reach without a Stargate, unfamiliar constellations that Evan itched to study further. Calling up the HUD he did a quick assessment of their situation and surrounds before plotting a course to take them to the planet below. And while it wasn't as moving as seeing Earth would have been, Lorne still felt something inside both lift and settle as he took in the view before them. That he was in command of a _space ship_, far enough out that he could see the entirety of a planet practically in one go was ... unbelievable.

"It never gets old Sir," Reed said, his eyes also trained on the view outside.

Lorne nodded, taking a few more moments to admire what his eyes were drinking in before turning his attention to the mission at hand. He'd cloaked the instance they'd cleared the wormhole because they didn't know what to expect on the planet below. Sheppard and the others could be under attack, cut off from the gate or detained in some fashion so they couldn't make it back to Atlantis. Or they could not be there at all. Didn't mean something else equally as threatening wasn't, hence the cautious approach. Evan knew that if he got into any more trouble off world while searching for the Colonel, Doctor Weir would revoke his off world pass. He was still counting himself lucky that she'd let him return to duty so soon after his last mishap.

The Jumper cleared the atmosphere with ease and soon they were skimming the trees, scanning the surface below. After about ten minutes of that the sensors picked up a small group of manmade structures, the only signs of inhabitants in the immediate surrounds. Deciding it was worth checking out, Lorne quickly found a clearing large enough to land in. Settling the ship down lightly he powered down, grabbing the Jumpers remote on the way through the back section. Hitting the button to lower the ramp he turned to his team.

"The village is a few clicks from our position," he stated. "We break into two teams and come at it from either side. Check out the situation before we make our presence known. You see anything that points to Colonel Sheppard's team having been there you radio in. Coughlin, you take Cheung. Reed, you're with me. Let's move out."

The men all moved quickly, purposefully heading out in opposite directions.

"No sign of the Jumper," Lorne commented to Reed as they walked.

"Cloaked maybe?" Reed suggested.

"Or just not here at all," Lorne countered. "You really think Colonel Sheppard would let anyone force him to fly a Jumper anywhere?"

"Then why are we here Sir?" Dan implicitly agreed with Evan's conclusion.

"Because Doctor Weir needs us to be doing something," Evan returned simply. "Because _we _need to be doing something." "_And managing the mood of the city's leader is just as important as finding Colonel Sheppard_," he added to himself silently.

When they got close to the village the two men shifted into the trees, continuing their approach with quiet steps until they found a position to watch from. Evan kept his eyes trained on the buildings closest to edge of the village. A few people were moving around, engaged in standard 'daily' activities. There were no signs of soldiers or weapons ... or strangers.

"Body language is pretty open," Lorne commented. "They don't look like people who're hiding anything." Making a quick decision he stood and motioned for Reed to fall in beside him. "Good morning Ma'am," Evan greeted the nearest villager - an older woman - with an easy, friendly smile.

"Good day," the woman replied, no hint of worry on her face.

"My name is Evan Lorne and this is my collegue Daniel Reed," he gestured to where his team mate stood just behind him, deciding that ranks would only intimidate when he needed cooperation. "I was wondering if I could trouble you for some information," Lorne began.

"Oh, I don't think I'd know anything that one such as yourself would find useful," the woman said with a self deprecating laugh, her cheeks flushing slightly at the attention.

"Four of our people went missing a few weeks ago," Evan explained, even more sure he'd made the right decision to just talk to her when her expression went from puzzled to concerned. "Three men and a woman. They'd have been dressed like us. Did you see anyone like that pass through here recently?"

"I'm sorry dear," the woman said compassionately. "You're the first strangers we've had visiting for months now. It's not harvest season you see. That's when the village is busy."

"So, no one new has been here lately?" Lorne checked.

"No," the woman reiterated. "I'm sorry I couldn't help more."

"That's okay," Evan smiled, raising an answering smile from the villager. "Are there any other settlements nearby?"

"None less than a few days walk from here," the woman said. She put a hand on Evan's arm and patted him comfortingly. "I hope you find your friends dear."

"Yeah, me too," Lorne put a hand over hers briefly, grateful for the easy way she'd spoken – truthful too if he was any judge of character. "We'll leave you to your work," he added, nodding his thanks before motioning for Reed to follow him back the way they'd come. "Coughlin, regroup back at the Jumper," he ordered over the radio.

"Acknowledged Sir," Nate replied.

Lorne and Reed walked in silence for a few moments before Evan chanced to glance at his team mate, noting the amused smile immediately.

"What?" he demanded.

"Nothing ... dear," Dan returned, laughing when his CO glared at him.

"I know I don't have to order you to keep that to yourself," Evan said pointedly.

"No Sir!" Reed said smartly, straightening instinctively. "But she sure took a liking to you Sir."

"She was fifty if she was a day! I probably just reminded her of her son or something."

"Or something," Reed reiterated, eyes twinkling with supressed laughter.

"Can it Airman," Lorne ordered, amused despite the joke being on him.

"Yes Sir."

* * *

Back at the Jumper Coughlin and Cheung reported having observed nothing out of the ordinary either. They hadn't spoken to anyone but Nate was as sure as Lorne had been that the people in that village weren't hiding anything, including their missing colleagues. Lorne filled the two men in on his side of the mission, everyone visibly disappointed at another dead end.

"So it's back to the drawing board?" Coughlin queried with a frown.

"Unfortunately yeah," Lorne agreed. "Worse than – there's not much written on that board right now. I'm kind of surprised McKay hasn't found some way to get them home already, _without _our help."

"Because he's usually the one fixing all the problems," Nate concluded.

"In his own way, sure," Lorne threw himself in the pilot's seat and focussed on his flying duties. It didn't take long to lift off and head back out to space. The ease with which that was accomplished amazed Evan despite the fact that he knew how capable the Puddle Jumpers were. They weren't due back in the city for an hour and when they got back there'd be a stack of new requests piling up on his desk – the Colonel's and his own. With there being nothing else he could do to find the others Lorne decided an extended approach to the gate was in order.

"Strap in," he told his team, the only warning they got before he sent the ship into a corkscrew trajectory away from the space gate.

"Are we taking the scenic route Sir?" Coughlin asked, unconcerned.

"Training Sergeant," Lorne said piously. "It might be a while before we get back out in space like this and simulations only get you so far."

"Of course Sir," Nate agreed, throwing his CO an amused look.

Evan held in his own smile, turning his attention to the HUD. There was another planet relatively close. Sending the ship streaming towards it Lorne reflected on the contrasts. Part of him was always tense with concern – had been since Sheppard first went missing. Evan didn't want to be in charge – not even temporarily, in an unofficial capacity, like he currently was. He'd been happy as 2IC and he wanted things back the way they'd been. That on top of his genuine personal concern for the lead team made for the tense environment.

And yet he could take delight in a flight through space. He could joke with his team, let Reed get away with his light teasing because he knew that having that feeling of camaraderie made Dan a better soldier. He could genuinely enjoy a brief interlude in a string of difficult days. It was contradictory but it was the nature of the beast ... and maybe that was part of what kept them all sane.

* * *

Lorne's team was in for a surprise when they got back to Atlantis. They needn't have hurried back because Doctor Weir didn't care about their lack of progress, for one very important reason. While they'd been gone Rodney McKay had returned to the city.

Stoned out of his head and rambling himself into a collapse but returned none the less.

He was minus the rest of his team but Doctor Weir told Lorne that she was trusting in the things Rodney had stuttered before his collapse, all pointing to the scientist knowing where Sheppard, Teyla and Ronon were.

Lorne reserved judgement until hours and hours later when Rodney was on the other side of going cold turkey on the Wraith enzyme. Then the scientist was very clear on what they needed to do and Lorne was one hundred percent behind him all the way.

The Daedalus arrived and Lorne accompanied McKay to the site of a Wraith culling, where Sheppard and the others were believed to be attempting to destroy a hive ship. Although Lorne and McKay's personal mission to locate Sheppard's radio signal and beam the team off the hive ship failed, the Colonel managed with his usual flair to not need rescuing after all. He stole a dart, beamed Teyla and Ronon on board and then proceeded to reap the benefits of the seeds of dissention he'd already sown to create conflict between the two hives.

Lorne was amazed and impressed as he watched the Wraith destroying each other while Sheppard flew the dart to the Daedalus and safety. Not that he wanted to be a prisoner of the Wraith, but if Evan ever found himself in a similar situation he could only hope to handle it with half the flair the Colonel had shown.

"Sir, welcome back," he told the Colonel as Sheppard strode onto the Daedalus bridge, Teyla and Ronon following behind him.

"Good to be back Major," John said easily. "Colonel," he acknowledged Caldwell before turning to his team mate. "McKay – about time you got here."

"_What_?" Rodney spluttered in protest. "Oh that's rich! You have no idea what I had to do to get here!"

"It is good to see you well Doctor," Teyla said, diffusing the situation in her usual calm manner.

"I – ah, you too," Rodney replied awkwardly.

"So, you kept the city ticking over while we were gone?" Sheppard's question drew Evan's attention away from the conversation between Rodney and Teyla. He did notice the point when Ronon got involved, scoffing when McKay started on about the size of the two guys he'd had to take down to escape, and held in a smile.

"Yes Sir," Lorne answered John's question without expression, correctly deducing what the Colonel really wanted to know. "Doctor Weir will be relieved to have you back Sir."

"She was worried, right?"

"You've been gone a few weeks Sir," Lorne pointed out. "Worried doesn't really cover it."

"Ah ... right," John looked uncomfortable for a minute before forcing a casual grin. "She made you keep up with all the paperwork, didn't she?"

"Yeah, and then some," Evan took his CO's lead, steering the conversation away from the impacts his absence had had on Atlantis and more specifically its leader. He knew the two were close and it was really none of his business just how close. "The Daedalus getting here early won't help either."

"Well, don't pull another all nighter Major," Sheppard said firmly. "I need my 2IC in fighting form."

"Yes Sir," Lorne said blandly, but inside he was grinning, more than glad to be handing the reigns back to John.

* * *

_"Hi Evan!" _Elaine Rider's smiling face beamed out from the computer screen. _"Wow, I can't believe it's been six months since you left. I know I say it every video but I really miss you big brother. We all do ... the boys are too young to really know what they're missing but I know you do. Sometimes it makes me sad."_

She frowned, looking down for a moment as though collecting her thoughts, before looking up again with a forced smile.

_"Sorry Evan ... it wasn't my intention to make you feel guilty because you're so far away. I'll let it drop, I promise, but I have to ask when you're coming to visit. Everything's okay here so don't worry – I just, I really want to see you ... just because, you know?" _Elaine sighed, letting her sadness show as she looked into the screen cam intently. _"You -,"_

_"Mam-ma," _Jon's still babyish voice preceded the three year old into the scene. _"Teddy's lost." _He pouted, lips quivering and eyes filling with tears.

_"Oh Baby," _Elaine gathered her oldest into her arms, pulling him up on her lap and cuddling him close. _"Teddy seems to be getting lost an awful lot lately."_

_"He wants to have aventers," _Jon explained earnestly. _"Like Unca Evan."_

_"I hope your Uncle has someone just as dedicated as you to help him on his adventures," _Elaine murmured, squeezing her boy tighter and pressing a kiss into his hair. _"Don't worry honey – we'll find Teddy." _Her expression would have touched anyone's heart - being an open declaration that here was something precious and special ... perfect. Her love for her child spoke louder than words - her love _and _her overwhelming pride in the little boy.

_"Are you making Unca Evan a letter Mam-ma?"_

_"I am," _Elaine smiled, nodding to the camera. _"Do you want to say hello?"_

Jon shot her a look that was so Drew it was uncanny. He rolled his eyes and the 'duh' didn't need to be said. Turning back to the camera Jon broke into a beaming grin. _"Hi Unca Evan. Me and Teddy is having aventers just like you do ... we're getting real good at them too." _He leaned a little closer as though getting ready to share a secret. _"Teddy gets scared sometimes but I tell him you'll rescue us if we really, really, need you to."_

_"Tell your Uncle what Grandma got you," _Elaine suggested.

_"Paints!" _Jon laughed. _"Gramma said if the aventering doesn't work out that I can be a famous artist when I grows up." _He looked proud of himself for having remembered Grace Lorne's words so perfectly. _"The paints smell bad ... Gramma called them aca ... aca-lick-tic. I don't know what that is," _he added honestly. _"Mam-ma promised we could send you the first picture when it dries proper. Can you hang it up on your wall? Please?"_

_"I'm sure your Uncle will be more than happy to display your work," _Elaine promised confidently.

_"Matty's gonna be pissed he didn't get to visit with you Unca Evan," _Jon said gleefully.

_"Jonathan Evan Lorne!" _Elaine swivelled her son on her lap and raised an eyebrow at him pointedly. _"Where did you hear a phrase like that?"_

_"Daddy's friends," _Jon said uncertainly. _"Unca Cade told Daddy that Unca Marcus was pissed he couldn't get no pass to visit." _He looked at his mother innocently. _"Did I do a bad?"_

_"Oh Honey, no. Sometimes your Daddy's friends forget there are little ears listening and say things that aren't appropriate for you or your brother to hear."_

_"Oh O! Mam-ma's gonna tell Daddy off,"_ Jon turned to the screen to share that insight with Evan, all smiles again.

_"I'm not!" _Elaine protested, sending the camera an exasperated look. _"Sorry," _she murmured, shaking her head._ "Welcome to family life with three boys in the house." _She laughed suddenly. _"Never a dull moment though, right?"_

_"Are you coming home soon Unca Evan?" _Jon asked earnestly. _"I miss you a whole bunch which is really a lot ... Matty is a baby so he misses you but not as much as I do. Can you come visit soon? Please?"_

_"Your Uncle will visit just as soon as he can Honey," _Elaine promised on Evan's behalf. _"Now tell him goodbye okay? Then we can send this and he can send us a reply."_

_"Okay." _Jon smiled big into the camera. _"Bye Unca Evan! Teddy and me loves you a whole bunch too. Have fun on your aventers."_

_"Bye Evan," _Elaine added. _"Love you ... be careful, okay?"_

She looked into the camera for another moment before leaning forward with a faint smile, the picture fading to grey as she switched off the camera.

Evan swallowed hard, eyes locked on the blank screen as he absorbed Elaine's message, newly arrived on the Daedalus. He'd missed Christmas and both Jon and Matt's birthdays and although Elaine hadn't set out to make him feel bad that was the end result just the same. God, he missed them so much. Not every day, not like a sharp pain that was always there. It was more a faint ache he was only sometimes aware of, like when he saw things that reminded him of family ... or when he got a letter from home. Life on Atlantis kept him busy enough that he could almost pretend Elaine and the boys and his Mom were just around the corner instead of a galaxy away. Until correspondence from home reminded him otherwise, like it had that day.

Jon had gotten big, and a lot more talkative and Matt was probably unrecognisable - six months was a lot of time for a baby to grow and change. Evan was missing everything and there wasn't a damn thing he could do about it.

Clicking the play button again, he sat back to watch the video again.


	12. Epiphanous beginning

**Chapter 12: Epiphanous beginning**

"God, that woman is ... _painful_!" Lorne slammed into his office, unaware that someone was already there.

"What woman would that be Major?" Colonel Sheppard looked at his usually unflappable 2IC with unmistakable interest.

"Sir!" Evan stopped abruptly, his face going blank. "_Great_," he thought. "_Way to look like an idiot Evan!_" "Ah, sorry?" he dissembled.

"The woman you find painful Major," Sheppard didn't let him off the hook, his amusement all too clear. "Who is she?"

"Oh, right," Lorne looked down at the floor before raising his eyes to his CO. "You know the civilians Sir. Sometimes they ask for things you can't deliver and then get a little ... moody when you tell them no. I'd rather not name this particular civilian Sir ... I should have spoken more respectfully."

"Relax Lorne," John dismissed Lorne's upright military persona. "I'm sure if you knew I was here you'd have been more circumspect."

"With all due respect Sir, why _are_ you here?" Lorne asked curiously, glad to have a reason to change the subject.

"Elizabeth wants to add an additional mission into the roster," Sheppard explained. "Request from M4R 883 – friends of the Athosians."

"So, too good to pass up the opportunity for trade agreements," Lorne concluded. Reviewing the mission roster in his head he nodded. "If they can wait a couple of days my team could take care of it."

"Excellent," Sheppard grinned, pleased to get the desired outcome. "I'll let Teyla brief you on –"

"Major Lorne."

Both men turned their heads to the doorway and the woman who stood there, arms folded across her chest. She wasn't tapping her foot impatiently but she might as well have been for the way she was holding herself.

"Doctor Darnell."

Sheppard shot a glance at his 2IC, registering the exaggerated patience in Lorne's voice. He looked at their visitor again and held in a grin. So this was the painful woman who'd had Evan storming into his office. Interesting. He hadn't had the chance to meet all the new people yet but from what he could recall her name was Prudence Darnell and she was a doctor of computational linguistics, whatever the hell that was. John only remembered because McKay had commented that having someone working on a translation program for Ancient and Wraith would allow him to focus on more important things like finding a way to recharge a ZPM or, you know, saving the planet.

"Lieutenant Colonel John Sheppard," he stepped forward and introduced himself. "Welcome to Atlantis."

"Colonel," Doctor Darnell said, her tone brisk. She barely gave John a glance before turning her attention to Lorne. "The conclusion of our prior conversation was unsatisfactory Major Lorne," she said briskly.

"Is that right Doctor?" Lorne replied blandly.

"Right, well you kids obviously have business to discuss," Colonel Sheppard interrupted. He had to walk around the doctor to get to the door and when there turned to look at Lorne. "Play nice Major," he said, eyes alight with amusement.

"Yes Sir," Lorne acknowledged his CO before returning his attention to his unwanted visitor. He looked at her expectantly, not giving her a lead in.

"As I was explaining before Major," Prue began, "in order to properly fulfil my contractual obligations I require access to ancient facilities located off world, as well as at least a month's notice of new staff before their arrival."

"And as I already said Doctor _no one_ gets off world travel without doing the training," Lorne explained again. "You're welcome to sign up for the next course just like everybody else."

"And as _I_ told _you_ I've already completed gate travel training at the SCG! This is unacceptable and a waste of my valuable time," Prudence exclaimed, clearly exasperated.

"You and McKay must have gone to the same school," Evan muttered under his breath.

"I beg your pardon?"

Prue's eyebrow rose sharply and she pinned him with a look that made him suddenly uncomfortable. Shaking it off Lorne tried to look innocent. "So I take it you _won't_ be putting your name on my list?" he challenged.

"I have no desire to be on any of your 'lists' Major Lorne but clearly I must abide by your ridiculous rules if I'm to have any hope of doing my job properly."

"That's right Doctor," Lorne smiled but it wasn't exactly happy and friendly. "You do have to abide by my rules. I'll make note of your request for off world training – someone will let you know when the next course kicks off."

"And sufficient notice of new personnel?" Prudence queried pointedly.

"Look Doc, this is a military base first and foremost," Evan reminded her. "The schedule is driven by a number of competing priorities – anything outside of that is 'get in line'. The new staff routine might be tighter than you're used to but you'll just have to adjust because I'm not changing an established process that works for one civilian."

"You are an exasperating man Major Lorne," Prue commented primly, her dissatisfaction apparent.

"That's fine Doctor ... I'm not sure I like you either," Lorne smiled, clearly amused rather than insulted by her apparently poor regard.

Prue blinked, distracted for a moment by his unexpected reaction. "I'm glad we understand each other then," she finally concluded.

"Right," Evan waited, frowning when she continued to look at him, her expression unreadable. "If there's nothing else Doctor, I have a lot of work to do. Those schedules don't manage themselves."

"Ooo!" Prue glared at him before spinning smartly on her heels and storming out of his office.

"Yeah, nice talking to you too!" Evan shook his head, wondering what in the hell had gotten into him. He didn't usually take such an instant dislike to someone but Doctor Prudence Darnell had managed the feat with ease.

She'd been in Atlantis for less than a week, coming in with the Daedalus as one of the newest recruits, and had put him off side almost from the moment she'd set foot in the city. They always started with a tour of the main areas that included some of the most important do's and don'ts. It gave everyone the chance to get their bearings while their gear was transported from the Daedalus along with the rest of the supplies. Evan had been between missions so he'd taken the most recent tour himself.

"There are designated areas of the city that have been cleared for general use," he said as he stood in front of one of the transporter units, explaining the system to the group of twelve civilians. "Any other areas are restricted. All transport activity is logged with the control room," he smiled as he added "so if you have a burning need to access a restricted part of the city you'll need to put in a request for permission."

"And how long does it take for permission to be granted Major?"

Lorne focussed on the questioner, getting those first impressions meeting someone new always generated. She was small, barely five two, with dark brown almost black hair pulled back tightly into some kind of bun at the back of her head. Pretty if you could look past the serious, dedicated vibe she was sending off – evidenced by the fact that she was dressed in the Atlantis civilian uniform and made it look starched and pressed to perfection. She had dark eyes to go with the hair and well shaped brows that were currently arched at him expectantly as she waited for his answer. Evan wasn't sure why but he knew immediately that this one was going to be trouble.

"That depends on where it is you want to go and why," he answered reasonably, "Ms ..?" He'd thought quickly back over the personnel files he'd reviewed a few weeks back but couldn't immediately put a name to her face.

"_Doctor_ Prudence Darnell," she said briskly. "Computational linguistics, software engineering, network control and maintenance."

"That's quite the title you have there Doctor," Lorne smiled charmingly, getting only the hint of a forced smile back.

"So Doctor Weir decides which parts of the city are open to civilians?" the scientist persisted with her questioning.

"Doctor Weir assesses all requests yes, in conjunction with Colonel Sheppard and myself," Evan explained patiently. "Some parts of the city haven't been touched in thousands of years Doctor and the safety of both you and your military escort is always paramount."

"I assume urgent requests for access will get priority?"

"All requests are assessed on merit," Evan returned, frowning. "I can't imagine what circumstance would require an immediate response but if our view on what classifies as urgent meets yours then your request will get the attention it warrants."

She opened her mouth to say something more and he held up a hand, stopping her. "If you have additional questions about city access Doctor I'm happy to speak with you after the tour. For now, let's move on," he motioned for the group to follow him towards the mess facilities.

Prudence Darnell _had_ wanted to talk to him after, in detail, and it seemed every answer out of his mouth was unsatisfactory to her requirements. She'd been given responsibility for setting up any tailored systems required by new starters to the city – mini networks so that people working on the same thing had the set of information and access they needed - and questioned him in detail about their process for selection and approval of new recruits. She wanted to have a say in everything and although Evan was happy to have input on staffing decisions there was no way he could give her the involvement she seemed to want. He'd have to deal with Doctor Darnell on a regular basis so he did his best to be polite and helpful but found himself doing the blank facade, at the back of his mind wondering if she'd be this painful every time the Daedalus was due into the city.

Bringing his thoughts back to the present Lorne couldn't help but chuckle. From his first mission off world in Pegasus he'd known that the civilian scientists were going to be difficult – he'd just add Doctor Prudence Darnell to the list of people to keep a closer eye on.

* * *

"Major Lorne, could you join me in resource room three please," Weir spoke over the radio.

"I'll be there in five," Lorne returned, already up and heading for the nearest transporter. Almost exactly five minutes later he strode through the doors of the large open plan room, frowning as he took in the activity going on around him. "Ma'am?" he stopped beside Doctor Weir, concern starting to rise as he registered the presence of both Rodney McKay and Carson Beckett, the two talking in an urgent manner. Since McKay had left for M55 878 with Colonel Sheppard a couple of hours previously and now seemed to be back and by himself the situation had a definite ominous feel to it.

"Major," Elizabeth moved to one side, drawing him with her. "We have a ... situation with Colonel Sheppard," she explained in a low tone. "The way Doctor McKay explained it the Colonel is currently trapped behind some kind of time dilation field."

"A time dilation field?" Lorne repeated slowly. "Dilated how?"

"Time is moving much faster for Colonel Sheppard than it is for us," Weir summarised succinctly. "Doctor McKay is gathering what he needs to find a way to shut off the field. We'll be going back with Doctor Beckett shortly."

"_We_ Ma'am?" Lorne's brow rose as he realised what she was implying.

"Rodney said there are ancient writings around the doorway Major and someone needs to translate them," Elizabeth explained. "Right now that means me."

"Permission to come along Ma'am," Evan asked briskly, straightening and giving her his best 'I mean business' look. She might be the city's leader but there was no way he was letting her put herself at risk.

"I'm sorry Major but I need you here," Elizabeth replied. "With Colonel Sheppard and myself both absent from the city you're the logical choice to provide leadership. I'm only there to look at the Ancient writing ... I'm not even sure how long we'll be gone."

"Yes Ma'am," Evan acknowledged her request reluctantly. "I'll have Private Cooper report to the jumper bay ... he's one of our best Jumper pilots."

"Thank you Major," Elizabeth smiled, putting a hand on his forearm in gratitude or maybe support, before moving back to talk with McKay and Beckett.

Lorne watched for a moment, his expression unreadable, before he strode off, contacting Cooper on the radio as he went.

* * *

"Why wasn't I given the opportunity to translate the Ancient writings on M55 878?"

Lorne looked up from his computer screen to see an obviously annoyed Doctor Darnell standing in his doorway.

"I see the city grapevine is working with its usual efficiency," Evan commented, shifting his chair back from his desk and leaning back a little. Rodney and the others had only left an hour before and there was no word so far that they'd managed to free Colonel Sheppard. He was worried, more so because he hated being the one to have to wait around while others went out and 'did', but doing his best to ignore it.

"Am I wrong?" Prudence asked, arching one of those sleek brows at him in a manner that just dared Lorne to disagree.

"About what Doctor?" he returned, standing up and approaching her, his expression suddenly grim. "About there being some Ancient writing to translate?" He stopped when he was just shy of invading her personal space, ignoring the fact that she seemed suddenly small and delicate despite the fact that she didn't give any hint that she was intimidated by his proximity. "Yes there was Ancient text found on M55 878 but _no_, you shouldn't have been given the chance to go and translate it. This isn't a science lab where you can hook up your computer and test out your theories. It's Colonel Sheppard facing unknown risk under extreme time pressure – a situation you're not qualified to deal with yet."

"I ...," Lorne watched as Doctor Darnell seemed to gather her resolve, straightening and looking up at him again. "I'm sorry Major – I was unaware of the surrounding circumstances and will make sure to have the full picture before I approach you in this manner in the future."

"That _would _be better," Lorne agreed, finding his previous annoyance dwindling away. That was when he realised how close he was standing to the computer scientist. Shifting back he sighed. "Look, just give yourself time to find your feet here Doctor. I know you have experience at the SGC but you need to realise that this galaxy is a whole host of different challenges. Don't be in such a hurry to get out there before you're ready."

"Good advice Major," Prudence said studiously enough that Evan wouldn't have been surprised if she'd ripped out a note book and started taking notes. "I will endeavour to be patient until such time as I've completed all of your imposed requirements."

"One, they aren't 'my' requirements – the training program is based on lessons learned the hard way," Evan shot back, "and two, they aren't a formality you have to get through Doctor Darnell. If you're not going to give the training the proper consideration then you might as well pack your bags and go back to Earth with the Daedalus."

"I apologise Major," Doctor Darnell replied quickly. "I didn't mean to imply that the training wasn't important and of course I will give it my full efforts. I have no desire to return to Earth." She looked at Evan, meeting his gaze intently and he found himself distracted by what he imagined he could see in her eyes. There were depths there he wouldn't have guessed at – she didn't just want to be on Atlantis, she _needed_ it, and the mystery of why that was had him narrowing his eyes with interest. Unfortunately she took control before he could question her further.

"I'll leave you to your work Major Lorne," she said briskly, spinning and practically marching to the door. He thought that was all the leave she was going to give him until she stopped and looked back quickly. "I hope Colonel Sheppard is okay," she said quietly, not waiting for his acknowledgement before she disappeared into the corridor.

"You and me both," Lorne muttered, staring for a moment at where she'd been standing.

"Major Lorne to the Control Room ... unscheduled off world activation," the announcement from Chuck broke into his musings.

"On my way," he said, striding quickly from the room.

* * *

The unscheduled gate activation turned out to be Colonel Sheppard and the others, returned from M55 878 with quite a story to tell. Lorne listened during the briefing, noting all the practical details about the sanctuary and the presence of Ancient technology they'd never be able to get their hands on. As the debrief broke up he moved to walk beside Sheppard.

"Must have been strange being away from here for so long," he commented to his CO.

"Yeah," Sheppard agreed. "Days and days bored out of my skull Major." He grimaced, clearly thinking back over the past seven months from his perspective – only hours from Lorne's. "They meditated ... _all_ the time."

"So you won't be lining up for ascension any time soon," Evan quipped with a slight smile.

"From what I could tell it sounds like a pretty dull way to spend eternity to me," John shot back with a grin.

Lorne hesitated before speaking again. "Did you miss it, the city I mean?"

"Atlantis?" Sheppard clarified, getting a nod in return. "It does draw you in, doesn't it? Doors opening just because you thought it, lights coming on ... it's pretty cool."

"Yes it is," Lorne agreed casually. He wasn't sure why he'd asked the question – maybe hoping the Colonel would let something slip about his own connection to the city. Evan had begun to believe John more than anyone else would understand what Evan felt from the city – that hum of systems engaging, that almost welcome when he returned from off world, as though the city was happy to have him there. If _he'd_ been away for seven months Evan knew he'd struggle to hide that surge of reconnection he knew he'd feel. Sheppard's response didn't give him an opening though – either because John didn't feel things from the city or because he, like Evan, didn't really want to talk about it openly. That was something Lorne understood – he no more wanted to draw attention to himself than Colonel Sheppard.

"It's good to have you back Sir," he said instead.

"At least you're not reminding me it was only hours for you," John muttered, glancing back to where his team were following along.

"It's tough getting the level of ... appreciation you deserve, isn't it?" Lorne quipped, thinking about the ribbing he got from his own team.

Sheppard laughed. "That it is Major. That it is."

**Authors Note:**

A couple of minor points - in Epiphany the planet didn't get a designation so I gave it one to save on having to refer to it as 'the planet where Sheppard got trapped in a time dilation field' all the time. Secondly the pilot for the Jumper when Rodney returned with Carson and Elizabeth was nameless and rankless as far as I could tell from the transcript and by looking closely at his uniform, so I gave him a name and rank, again to make referring to him easier. Lastly, it's after 2am here so forgive any errors that might have crept in due to me being crossed eyed with tiredness.


	13. The Fifth Horseman

**Chapter 13: The Fifth Horseman**

"Lastly, the weekly report from the SGC," Elizabeth said, eyes narrowed on her laptop as she scrolled to the information she wanted to share.

Doctor Weir ran regular meeting with the department seconds, usually weekly, so that she'd be up to date on what wasn't covered at the top leadership meetings. It also gave staff most in touch with what was going on at the 'people' level the chance to speak to her on a regular basis. In the room, apart from Lorne himself and Radek Zelenka, was Doctor Claudia Moon – 2IC of cultural and diplomatic services; Doctor Jennifer Keller – Carson Beckett's second; Doctor Katie Brown – second in charge of Special Sciences (Rodney McKay would call them soft but for the fact that he was more than a little taken with Katie Brown); Melissa Wilson – as close as Elizabeth got to having a civilian assistant to back her up on the administrative front; and Sergeant Charles Moore who'd taken over from Sergeant Bates as the head of security after the other man had been injured during the Wraith seige.

They all knew what had been going on in their own galaxy ... the Prior's of the Ori moving in on many planets and forcing inhabitants to live according to 'Origin', to seek the path to enlightenment or face destruction. It was grim but to date there'd been nothing Atlantis could do to assist ... _aside _from the fact that they had their own problems with the Wraith to contend with.

Lorne shifted in his seat, his interest evident in his posture. He still felt a connection to the SGC, still had friends there who sent him emails every now and then. Some of what he knew about the Ori threat had come from them and none of it sounded good. People were tired after years of trying to subdue the Goa'uld – to have an even more menacing enemy crawl out of the woodwork only months after defeating them was tough on morale.

"The Ori threat is escalating," Weir revealed, "and that threat has now reached Earth. One of the SG teams returned from a planet with a Prior visiting and within hours all but one of them had fallen ill with the Ori plague. I know that's bad enough but the Ori were able to make one of our own people a carrier ... he took the plague outside the SGC before they knew there was even a threat and began a pandemic that spread very quickly beyond control. It was only intervention from a previously ascended ancient, Orlin, and Gerak, leader of the Jaffa free nation and a Prior, that saved this from becoming a global disaster."

"The death toll?" Doctor Keller asked, her expression bleak. It was a shock to everyone - there'd been no mention of a threat in the previous week's reports and no communication from Earth in the intervening time.

"Three thousand worldwide," Weir replied, "including more than twenty SGC personnel. It's a lot but it could have been very much worse. There were reported cases spread across the globe."

"A full scale international incident," Doctor Moon commented. "With the source inside the U.S. there must have been public outcry, particularly given the President would have necessarily been vague on where the illness came from."

"Yes, the administration did come under fire, externally as well as from the IOA," Elizabeth agreed. "They did eventually agree that there was nothing that could have been done to detect this threat before it occurred."

"What about preventing it from happening again?" Sergeant Moore asked.

"They have a vaccine," Weir said simply.

"From the survivors?" Jennifer asked incredulously. "If they've developed a vaccine already that's very impressive work."

"There were no survivors apart from the ones Gerak cured," Elizabeth explained. "It was mainly the work of Orlin ... you can read the full report for the details but suffice to say there'd be no cure without his sacrifice and the sacrifice of Gerak."

"What team?" Lorne asked abruptly, not sure he wanted to know the answer but feeling compelled to ask the question anyway. He'd listened to the questions and comments while a sick feeling of dread had crept over him and now he just needed to know, one way or the other.

"Major?" Weir frowned, not understanding the question.

"The team who brought the plague to Earth initially," Evan clarified. "Who were they?"

Elizabeth glanced at her screen before looking back at him. "SG-6."

He'd dodged a bullet. The knowledge of what would have happened had he remained at the SGC washed over Lorne like a cold wave of icy numbness. Riding hard on the heels of that impact came regret and grief for the members of SG-6, the kind that made his heart pump fast. Cold numbness and hot grief ... it was a dizzying clash of contrasting emotions that left him feeling a little sick. As if in response Evan's awareness of background static from the city shifted and drew his attention. He wasn't sure for what purpose – maybe he was giving off bad vibes and confusing the systems – but he couldn't have it, the distraction making it harder for him to force down all the emotions he was feeling. "_Not now!_" he thought harshly. The systems responded immediately, dropping the feedback down to background again, allowing Evan to think.

He'd served with Colonel Barnes for more than six months which might not sound like much but bonds formed quickly when you were being chased by angry natives on a regular basis. He'd genuinely liked the SG-6 leader ... Evan couldn't believe the other man had gone out in such a crappy fashion. Fisher and Ryan either ... none of them deserved to be used as pawns like that and the tragic waste sent anger rolling through him. That anger was almost welcome because it swept away the more confusing emotions and the numb cold of his initial reaction. Anger he could deal with ...

"Major?" Doctor Weir queried Lorne again.

Evan looked up to see that everyone in the room was watching him with varying degrees of concern. "Sorry," he muttered, looking down again.

"Something you want to share Major?" Elizabeth asked gently.

"No Ma'am," he replied briskly, trying to swallow back the emotions crowding his mind without success. He had to get away so he could sort them into some semblance of order. "Is there anything else?"

"That's all for today Major."

Before Doctor Weir had finished voicing her negative response Lorne was up on his feet. "Then I'll take my leave Ma'am. The paperwork for the Daedalus departure next week is overdue," he excused on his way to the door. He didn't wait for Weir's dismissal or look at the others and was out in the corridor before anyone had a chance to call him up on his behaviour.

Evan went straight to his office, swiping the door closed and thinking 'locked' before relaxing his guard. He stood for a moment in the middle of his office, hands at his hips, thoughts racing.

Information ... that's what he needed.

Throwing himself into his chair Lorne called up the detailed report from the SGC, reading the entire thing in minutes. It didn't help to have it confirmed ... Colonel Barnes, Airman Ryan and Lorne's replacement Captain Brooks all dead, and Lieutenant Fisher confined until they could work out how to make him not a carrier of almost certain death. It wasn't written but Evan could read between the lines – solving Fisher's 'carrier of the plague' problem would be much easier than convincing him that the deaths of his teammates and thousands of others weren't his responsibility.

Lorne understood guilt. It made no sense to feel like his previous team had suffered because he hadn't been there. It made no sense to feel bad because the guy who'd replaced him on SG-6 was now dead ... and yet Evan _did_ feel bad.

God," he muttered, getting up and pacing back and forth in the enclosed space. He felt restless, ineffectual ... full of energy with nowhere to direct it. The attack on Earth was over and there was nothing he could do. It didn't help that Atlantis was back to treating him to a continuous burst of insistent static. Maybe the systems were trying to help but all he wanted to do was tell them to shut the fuck up. That was the anger talking, not him, and it made Evan realise he needed to deal with what he was feeling. This was where a handy webcam link back to the States would be helpful. He could dial Piper; give her the guts of what had happened and count on her to say something to diffuse the emotions down to something manageable. Maybe he should have developed a connection to someone on Atlantis equally as useful but he hadn't – not unless you could count a set of inanimate systems and a piece of holographic software.

"_You're a sad individual_," he thought grimly. Yeah, sad but also a little annoyed with himself too. Loss often served as a wakeup call and if that were the case here then the person at the other end of the line was telling Evan to get a life on Atlantis beyond his work and his connections to the city. If he'd put himself out there a little, made some friends who weren't an active part of his role or direct subordinates then maybe he would feel able to talk to someone about SG-6. Maybe not – talking about his feelings wasn't exactly his strong suit – but it would be nice to have the option.

Instead he didn't have an obvious outlet when he needed it. Jumping up, Evan swiped the doors open again and headed for his quarters, changing into track pants and a t-shirt with quick, economical movements. Two minutes later he was out the door again and on his way to the gym.

He went at the punching bag hard, ignoring the few others in the gym beyond acknowledging their 'Sir's as they all eventually left him alone. He'd gotten into a rhythm and worked up a nice sweat before he started to feel a little less ... on edge. Atlantis static swelled in volume in his head again and he paused, breathing hard. "_I'm okay_," he thought, wondering if he'd ever get over feeling like an idiot every time he attempted to reassure the systems of his wellbeing. He knew the city wasn't really a thinking, feeling, living entity and yet he didn't doubt anymore that in some way the Ancient systems were tuned in to him. The city had sophisticated sensor systems capable of distinguishing individuals based on a host of different parameters and there were aspects McKay would never admit to not fully understanding yet. Evan figured those sensors were monitoring him and registered whenever his 'readings' weren't in the usual range. It made sense, in a strange, 'I have ancient DNA kicking around my system' kind of way. _Why_ it happened was a different story, and Lorne wasn't ready to speculate on answers for that quite yet.

"Major?"

Evan frowned at the interruption, turning to glance at the doorway and just barely refraining from groaning out loud.

"Doctor Darnell," he acknowledged her but returned his attention to punching the bag in front of him.

It took him a few repetitions of right, left, right, right before he realised that she hadn't spoken again but was still standing there, watching him. "Something I can do for you Doctor?" he queried, keeping up with his pattern of punches.

"I was ... I wanted to ...," Prudence almost stuttered, her uncharacteristic awkwardness grabbing his attention.

"Spit it out Doc," he urged, throwing a particularly hard punch at the bag that sent it away and then swooping rapidly back towards him.

"You're obviously busy," Prudence muttered. "I shouldn't have interrupted. I'll just ... I'll come back later."

"I won't be here later," Evan pointed out blandly, deliberately misunderstanding what she meant by coming back, "so whatever you wanted, you better get it off your chest now."

"I failed the firearms section of the off world training program," the scientist admitted in a rush, not looking at him directly. "I get one chance to repeat the test and if I fail again I have to wait for the next program and repeat the entire course."

"Yeah, I know the setup," Lorne reminded her that he knew all the rules and restrictions. In fact it had been his idea to require participants to repeat the course if they failed the test twice. Not as a punishment but rather to give them a chance at a clean slate as well as the time to get used to the fact that they would in all likelihood at some point in the future have to fire a weapon at something or someone. "If you're asking for me to relax that rule forget it Doc. If you can't hit what you target with some degree of accuracy then you don't belong off world here."

"It wasn't a requirement back at the SGC but I'm not an idiot Major," Prudence retorted impatiently. "I understand the need, which is why I want a tutor. I was told that you could assign me someone for one on one training and I would very much like it if you could do so as soon as possible. The repeat test is next week and I can't afford to fail again."

"A tutor huh?" Evan smiled slightly, amused at her approach. Clearly she needed something from him but just as clearly she was unhappy about having to ask, even though he could see that she was very committed to correcting her mistakes and passing that test. "I can do that ... in fact, consider yourself tutored."

"Thank you Major."

Prudence actually smiled and the effect had Lorne blinking in surprise. He wanted to tell her she needed to relax like that more often because her happy face was a hell of a lot more compelling than her serious one. Since that was the kind of observation that could get a guy's face slapped, Evan wisely refrained.

"I'm sure you would like me to leave you to continue your pointless assault on that punching bag now," she said briskly ... Lorne chose to read a fair slice of condescension in there as well.

"Pointless?" he queried, grabbing the bag when it swung back instead of hitting it again. Pushing it away, he stepped back, pulling off his gloves as he approached her. "How so?"

"What?" Prue swallowed nervously, her eyes darting from his to stop for milliseconds on his chest, his forearms, his hands. Realising what she was doing, Doctor Darnell's eyes lifted abruptly back to his. "Oh, I ah ... sorry, I didn't mean to imply anything ... it's just ... you do realise the energy expelled if this is for exercise purposes isn't matched by the fitness outcomes it can deliver? You'd be better off running or swimming."

"Is that an invitation?" Lorne almost laughed at the horrified look on her face. "Because you know, any time you want me to run you into the ground you're welcome to come find me Doctor."

"I'm not sure what outcome you'd derive from demonstrating a necessary physical superiority Major," Doctor Darnell pointed out primly, "but you've made your 'keep out' message very clear. I apologise for my clumsy attempt to acknowledge the obvious emotion driving you."

"Don't presume to know anything about me Doctor Darnell!" Evan shot her an exasperated look, anger resurfacing. "You have _no _idea what drives me."

"And I'm sure you're too much the tough guy to tell me," Prudence retorted, challenging him without coming right out and accusing him of being unable to express himself.

"You worked at the SGC right?" Lorne got up right into her space, looming over her without touching her, his expression grim. "I bet you know all twenty victims of the Ori plague too ... by name but not to talk to, right? Not to feel bad you got out of there before that plague got you too. I bet you're not kicking yourself right now that you really should have included them in your last email home because God knows around here you can't count on another chance! I bet they're all just names on some database to you ..."

Her eyes were locked to his as he unloaded his negative emotions onto her – Lorne felt remorse even before he saw the tears welling up in her eyes and it had him grabbing for her arm before she could run away. He felt a jolt of heat from the contact, saw an answering recognition in her eyes ... but put it down to the understandable emotions they were both feeling.

"Jesus, I'm sorry," he said intently, taking her other hand and squeezing both firmly. "I had no right to offload my anger like that."

"Who did you know?" Prudence asked in a low tone.

He let the silence dominate for a few moments, hesitant to offer anything of himself but suffering enough remorse that he felt like he owed it to her to be open. "SG-6," he finally said succinctly.

"Colonel Barnes was always very nice to all the scientists," Prudence offered, seemingly content to let him continue to hold her hands in his. "I liked him."

"Yeah, me too," Lorne admitted, all the fight just dropping out of him. "They were my team ... before I came here."

"That was you?" Prudence smiled. "He mentioned you Major ... usually to complain about flyboys running off to chase rainbows in other galaxies but I could tell he thought highly of you. He tried the team with two other marines before settling on Captain Brooks to replace you." She blushed suddenly, looking down, her voice dropping in volume. "Indirectly you're the reason I decided to come here."

"Really?" Evan missed the opportunity to use that admission to his advantage, so surprised was he by the fact that she'd actually admitted it to him.

"Really," Doctor Darnell agreed simply.

She watched him think about that for a few moments up until the point that he realised he was standing in the gym practically holding hands with her. Then he dropped her wrists like they'd burned him and took a hurried step back.

"Don't start being nice to me Doctor or I might think you actually like me," Lorne teased, ignoring both the lingering impression of heat on his palms _and_ the weirdly supportive direction the conversation had taken.

Prudence's formerly open expression instantly shifted back to annoyance as she glared at him. "Don't worry Major – there is _no_ chance of that!" Turning smartly she headed for the entrance, clearly intent on leaving without saying anything else. Self interest prevailed and she stopped at the door, turning back to him. "You neglected to tell me the name of my firearms tutor Major," she reminded him, all prim and brisk in her manner.

Her manner challenged him and Evan couldn't resist taking up the gauntlet. "I've got some free time after the next couple of days," he said, struggling once again not to laugh when her expression shifted to dismay. "Meet me at the training range Tuesday morning, 0700 hours."

"Very well." Prudence shot him a frustrated look before continuing on her way, leaving him to a deserted gym.

Evan contemplated the punching bag but there was no point in starting up again. He just didn't feel that angry anymore and the fact that it was Prudence Darnell who was responsible for lightening his emotional turmoil was something he chose to add to the growing list of things he wasn't thinking about.

* * *

Lorne worked hard for the rest of the day, finishing the paperwork he'd used as an excuse to get out of Elizabeth's meeting and then getting a head start on reports that weren't due until the Daedalus arrived back at Earth.

Anything to keep his mind occupied.

Hours later and well after dark Lorne made his way tiredly back to his quarters. He wasn't even surprised when he glanced down as he was opening his door and saw the flowers waiting for his return.

Stooping low he picked them up and continued inside, barely glancing at their purple, starlike beauty this time as he refilled the vase he still had out and deposited them inside. He could see the pattern now and it was one that troubled him. Every time he was injured he'd come back to his room and there would be the flowers. His first off world mission and the vision blurring headache he'd brought back. Losing Walker and Stevens to the Iratus Bugs. The gunshot wound to the shoulder he was still recovering from. And today with his distress over the Ori plague reports – not exactly like the other times but those first moments had been too much like physical pain ... he still felt injured in a way by the news.

It was the most recent occurrence that raised concerns. The prior three events were public knowledge that anyone could have been aware of, but _no one_ could possibly know the full extent of his emotions for the fate of SG-6. Only Doctor Darnell knew even a small part of it – not that he thought she'd be leaving him flowers. One because she seemed to dislike him quite actively and two because she hadn't been in the city for the first two events. It couldn't be her but at the same time he couldn't see how it could be anyone else.

It made no sense ... unless someone on Atlantis could see inside his mind and surely that was impossible.

* * *

The fate of his old team and the fact that he'd struggled to find an outlet for dealing with the emotional fallout had an almost immediate effect on Lorne. He needed to get out there more. Not that he wasn't sociable – he ate with his team on a regular basis and made time to catch up with Lieutenant Cadman whenever she was in the city. He spent some time with Radek and Carson outside of his duties too, when time allowed. He just didn't join in with the group events that occurred on a regular basis – all part of trying to maintain that necessary distance between outranking almost everyone in the city, or being in a position of authority over them, and wanting to be friendly and approachable.

"Major Lorne."

Evan stopped, his lunch tray in hand, and looked over to where Cadman was sitting with two other people – Jennifer Keller and Claudia Moon. He didn't wonder how Laura knew the two women – the explosives expert was friendly and outgoing and seemed to know everyone, even though she only lived in the city three weeks out of twelve.

"Lieutenant," he acknowledged her with a slight smile, moving closer to their table. "Getting in some last minute socialising?"

"No need this time Sir," Cadman grinned, pleased with herself. "Colonel Caldwell did approve my request for an extended stay this time and Colonel Sheppard agreed too so you're stuck with me for a few weeks yet."

"I'll alert all the security teams then shall I?" Evan smirked when she looked insulted for a moment before working out that he was joking.

"We were just discussing movie night," Laura said. She glanced at his full tray and then around the crowded mess hall. "You're welcome to join us Sir," she invited casually.

"Ah," Evan thought for a moment and then shrugged. No time like the present to be a little more open. "Sure, okay. Thanks Lieutenant."

"No problem Sir," Cadman replied, shifting to give him room to sit in the only empty chair on the corner between herself and Doctor Keller. "Doc," he acknowledged Jennifer, nodding to Claudia as well before focussing on his lunch.

"So I was thinking we have a marathon again," Cadman returned to her prior discussion with her companions. "How about we watch all the Godfather movies?"

"No!" Jennifer shook her head emphatically. "Why do you always pick bloodthirsty movies?"

"Because they're fun," Laura shot back with a cheeky grin.

"To _you_," Jennifer retorted. "I see enough of that in my day job thank you very much."

"What about Lord of the Rings?" Claudia Moon suggested.

"We've watched that too many times already," Laura complained.

"And we haven't watched the Godfather before?" Jennifer queried pointedly.

"What would you pick Sir?" Laura looked at Lorne curiously, drawing him into their conversation.

"Me?" Evan asked, surprised his opinion was being sought.

"You don't like movies Major Lorne?" Jennifer asked curiously.

"Ah ... no, I mean, yes," Lorne frowned, shaking his head at suddenly finding himself the centre of their attention, the uncomfortable feeling reminding him of why he kept that distance between him and the civilians. "I like movies Doctor ... just not one after another. Plus there are other things I'd rather do with my spare time, you know?"

"Oh, you can't leave that one there Sir," Cadman protested, mischief dancing in her eyes.

"Pretty sure I can Lieutenant," Evan returned, giving her a look that said 'continue pushing me at your peril'.

"You should come to our movie night Major," Jennifer said with a smirk. "We've been lacking someone to keep Laura in check."

"Doctor Beckett not invited then?" Lorne asked blandly, enjoying the faint blush that appeared on Laura's face.

"Carson always pleads too much work," Jennifer laughed. "I think he'd rather see a nice light-hearted movie too."

"Right, sure," Evan hesitated for a fraction of a second before making a decision. "Okay, then in the interests of equality you can count me in for your next movie night. As long as you pick something Carson will turn up for as well."

"I'll make sure we do Major," Jennifer agreed solemnly, ignoring the suggestive way Laura was raising her eyebrows at her.

"Let me know the details," Lorne replied easily.

Jennifer nodded, her expression turning hesitant before she leaned a little closer to Evan and spoke in a low tone. "I wanted to ask if you were okay Major," she said softly. "I couldn't help but notice at the meeting yesterday that you were bothered by the report from the SGC."

Lorne's expression closed like shutters over a window. "I'm fine Doctor," he said in a way that didn't encourage further questioning.

Jennifer nodded, regret evident on her face. "I didn't mean to pry Major Lorne. To be honest the meeting left me feeling very sad myself and I never served at the SGC prior to coming here. It would be understandable for anyone who _did_ serve there to be upset."

"Yeah," Laura had been keeping track of the semi private conversation going on between Lorne and Jennifer. "I kicked the crap out of my sparring partner yesterday Sir and I still felt angry enough to climb the walls. It's not right, what the Ori are trying to do. I wish there was something we could do to retaliate."

"Me too," Lorne softened a little, understanding the need for soldiers to band together against a common threat, even one so far away. "And who knows, maybe in the future there will be." Glancing at his watch he stood. "Duty calls," he said simply, nodding to Jennifer and Claudia and then stopping on Laura. "Behave Lieutenant," he said sternly, a smile playing over his face as he tried to lighten the mood again.

"Yes Sir," Laura replied, keeping her eyes away from where her friends were now laughing at her.

Lorne chuckled as he walked away, deciding it would only give her ammunition if he admitted he was happy she was hanging around the city for a while. He wasn't sure going to their movie night was necessarily a good idea but figured if it didn't go well he could always beg off of any future invitations.

He'd passed most of the tables, all still bordering on being at full capacity, before he had that feeling of someone watching him. Glancing to his left he saw Prudence Darnell, eating with a few of the other new starters at a table near the entrance. She looked away quickly but Evan knew she'd been following him with her eyes and he slowed, waiting until she looked up again. It was interesting that instead of being embarrassed she gave him a rueful smile, seemingly comfortable being caught. It roused an answering smile from him and a casual half wave before he continued on his way. Maybe Doctor Darnell wasn't as painful as he'd initially decided, not that it meant he was ready to make her his new best friend or anything.

Shaking his head at his own fanciful turn of thought, Evan put social obligations and one annoying but strangely hard to ignore computer scientists from his mind so that he could focus on his job.

**Authors Note:**

I had to make a few decisions this chapter - on when Jennifer arrived, where Season 9 (Ep 10/11 - The Fourth Horseman Pt 1 & 2) of SG-1 slots in with Season 2 of SGA, what other department heads they'd be likely to have in the city besides Rodney. The Daedalus being there one episode and not mentioned then next and then back again the episode after that with no mention of whether they'd been there the whole time or to Earth and back was a complicating factor too because it makes working out a reasonable timeline almost impossible. I'm mentioning it because anything I have that deviates from people's perceived version of canon is done for a reason. For anyone who doesn't remember, in chapter 2 Lorne was assigned to SG-6 and stayed with them until General O'Neill asked him to go to the Pegasus galaxy for the tail end of The Siege ... and yes I did do that deliberately (I know, very mean to poor Lorne!).

Secondly I have to apologise for being a grumpy, review pleading writer the past couple of chapters. Thank you to ladygris for reminding me that it's all about the story - and has been for me since I started posting here. I just have to trust that if you like what you read and more importantly if you see the value and importance of encouraging anyone who takes the time to write and post their work here, you'll review. So no more pleading and no more feeling flattened if I don't get reviews (I'll try on that second point - posting brings out the 'waaaaaaa' in me at times!)

Lastly, the next chapter is already written! Yay! So you know what that means - there will be another post this week! Double Yay!


	14. Critical Mess

**Chapter 14: Critical Mess**

"Proficiency in the basic weapons used by off world teams is crucial in the Pegasus Galaxy," Evan explained. "99% of the time that'll be the P-90 submachine gun or the M9 pistol. The P-90 puts the power of an assault rifle into a smaller sized weapon, suitable for close quarter's encounters." He suppressed a grin as Doctor Darnell bit her lip, clearly holding in the need to tell him she already knew all that. She'd turned up for their first tutoring session with her usual, starched to perfection, uniform in place and an obviously forced expression of friendliness on her face. Lorne didn't think she was unfriendly as such – she was just very ... serious ... brisk, and her attempts to put on a more relaxed facade for his benefit were amusing and maybe even a little humbling. Prudence had asked for his help and clearly doing well with him was very important to her – something that had nothing to do with whether she personally liked him or not. He could respect that – there were staff on Atlantis he wouldn't be signing up to be friends with and that was okay.

Wondering how long he could go on before she reverted to her usual approach and told him to stop wasting her time, Evan continued with his impromptu lecture.

"The P-90 is classed as a Personal Defence Weapon. PDW's are designed to bridge the gap between assault rifles and pistols. They're more powerful than a pistol, but lighter than a rifle. The P-90 is a fully ambidextrous weapon, in a bullpup configuration," Evan grinned. "That just means the action and magazine are behind the trigger ... gives it a longer barrel without substantially increasing the weapon size. It also means that maintenance of the gun doesn't require a complete disassembly ... removing the magazine gives access to the entire firing mechanism."

Motioning to a table on the far wall where he'd set up a weapon before Doctor Darnell arrived, Lorne continued. "I disassembled this one before you got here so you could see the major component groups." He pointed to each as he named them. "Trigger group, barrel and optical sight assembly, butt plate, magazine, bolt carrier and recoil assembly, -"

"And stock body and trigger," Prudence finally interrupted him. "I _was_ paying attention during the theory section of the training Major."

"Never said you weren't Doctor," Evan returned. "Just wanted to make sure we're on the same page here." He glanced at her with a hint of challenge in his eyes. "So you know what all the parts are called. Can you put it back together?"

Moving forward confidently, Prue picked up each component in the right order and then carefully put it in place until she had a properly constructed P-90 in her hands. She'd done it much slower than he could have but Evan was impressed with her performance and the way she hadn't hesitated with any of the components.

"Nice work Doctor," he complimented her, not missing the faint hint of a smile that played across her lips. "Understanding the weapon and how it works clearly isn't your problem." Moving to the nearest shooting station he pushed the button to set the target at the right distance. "Ear guards," he said, grabbing a set for himself and then holding out a pair for her. "Let's see what you do while you're firing it."

Prudence took the ear guards and lifted them into place. Taking up the P-90 again she stepped into position, eyes narrowed on the human outline target before her. Taking a deep breath she squeezed the trigger for a short burst, the recoil sending all but the first bullet wildly off course.

"You need to brace yourself Doctor," Lorne shifted to stand behind her, keeping a small span of distance between his chest and her back. "Think physics ... Newton's first law ... action and reaction. You need to counter the force generated by the bullets being propelled from the weapon if you want to hit anything you aim for."

"You don't talk like any soldier I've ever known," Prudence muttered, resetting herself and sighting on the target again.

"How many soldiers have you taken the time to talk to Doctor?" Evan asked rhetorically, watching her actions carefully. He could have told her he wasn't just a soldier but the session wasn't about him - it was about her, and him working out what was stopping her from gaining profficiency in the basic weapons.

Prudence squeezed the trigger again, the recoil sending her stumbling back into Evan. He braced expecting that result, and grabbed her shoulders to steady her.

There it was again ...

Even through her jacket Lorne could feel the heat of her seeping into his palms. It was disturbing and not at all what he wanted to be noticing, especially since he intended to maintain his position to show rather than just tell her what she wasn't doing.

"You can't be half hearted about this Doctor," he instructed. "It's an all or nothing thing. You hesitate and you might as well not have a weapon." Gently pulling her back until she was flush up against him, he leant down to speak close to her ear. "Try it again."

Prudence tensed the instance he laid his hands on her. Seemingly ignoring that _and _him, she took a visibly deep breath, raising the P-90 again. Evan waited until just before she squeezed the trigger, bracing her himself just as the recoil struck. This time her arms hardly jerked at all and most of the bullets landed inside the outline rather than spraying wildly and not hitting it at all.

"Better," Lorne said simply, eyes narrowed on the target consideringly.

"I get it Major," Doctor Darnell shrugged her shoulders insistently, a clear message that she wanted him to stop holding on to her. "You can let go now."

"Don't get the wrong idea Doctor," Evan drawled, letting his hands slide away rather than removing them in one go. He didn't miss the way she tensed again – and couldn't have missed her annoyance when she spun to look at him, her eyes shooting sparks. "All part of the training process," he added blandly, holding up his hands innocently.

The sound she made was half growl. "Are you always this much of an ass Major?" she accused.

"An ass huh?" Evan laughed. "Since you're the first person who's levelled that accusation at me I'd have to say no. You seem to be bringing out that side of me Doctor."

"It's hardly my fault Major Lorne," she pursed her lips together and he was sure she was grinding her teeth too. "I think it best you find me another tutor," she finally requested, brisk primness firmly in place.

"No can do Doc," Lorne returned.

"Why the hell not?"

Lorne raised a brow at her cursing, eyes narrowed as he considered how to answer that. Truthfully he _could_ assign her to someone else and a large part of him wanted to do just that. She didn't annoy him as she'd initially done but now he had a whole host of other problems, chief among them his physical awareness of her even though he wouldn't have said that he was attracted to her. She intrigued him intellectually too because he was sure there was much more to her than she seemed willing to show the general populace and that was the kind of puzzle he'd always been challenged to solve. So yeah, he should assign her to someone who wouldn't have those issues and save himself some aggravation. Only problem with that was you started to shift your problems on to someone else instead of dealing with them and next thing you knew you were unable to deal with anything. He didn't want that for himself and something told him it wouldn't be good for her either.

"Look Doctor, I _could_ find you another tutor but I'm not going to," he held up a hand when she opened her mouth to argue. "No ... no more protests. You think you'll have the luxury out in the field to request who you deal with? 'I'm sorry Genii soldier – I'd much rather deal with someone I like'?" He shook his head. "It doesn't work that way out there and I can't let it work that way here. You deal with me or you try to pass your firearms tests on your own. That's the only choice I can give you."

Prudence watched his eyes as he spoke – Lorne knew she'd see nothing but conviction there. So he wasn't surprised when she let her shoulders drop, in defeat or resignation or maybe a bit of both.

"Fine," she muttered resentfully. "Can we continue with the lesson then?"

"Sure, of course," Lorne smiled slightly, stepping back to give her plenty of space and waving her towards the target. "Try again, bracing like I showed you."

Doctor Darnell followed his instructions for the rest of the lesson without argument, showing marked improvement by the end of the forty five minutes. Neither of them acknowledged the awareness between them, nor the way it drove them to rub each other up the wrong way. It was all painfully business like ... and consequently less friendly than it could have been.

"Thank you Major," Prudence said at the end, her formal tone leaving no room for him to take the conversation anywhere but to the conclusion of their session.

"No problem Doctor," he replied. "We'll do another practice session in a couple of days and then you should be okay for the test. We'll meet again same time tomorrow for M9 training but I don't think you'll have a problem with that."

"Very well," Darnell shot him an unreadable glance, hesitated for a moment, and then turned away. She was out the door and disappearing down the corridor before Lorne could blink.

Shrugging, Evan gathered up the P-90 and the ammo they hadn't used, cleaned up the range and then headed out, the lights switching off silently behind him.

* * *

"Sheppard to Lorne."

"Yes Sir," Lorne answered from the armoury. The Daedalus had been gone a week but he was only now getting to signing off on all the new weapons supplies having been logged appropriately.

"Assemble all the teams for a full scale search of the city Major," the Colonel instructed. "We've got a bomb on Atlantis."

"A bomb Sir?" Evan frowned.

"You heard right," Sheppard confirmed. "The Daedalus relayed a transmission from the SGC. They'd got evidence that the Trust have been here and rigged a bomb to go off when we dial Earth."

"So what are we looking for exactly?"

"No idea," Sheppard's tone was frustrated as he continued. "Something that doesn't belong."

"Understood Sir," Lorne acknowledged. John closed off their private channel leaving Evan clear to request a city wide channel to all military personnel. A full mobilisation and search of Atlantis was one of the standard military operations they'd organised and trained for. Getting ten teams assembled, geared up and out to their designated sectors went smoothly, Lorne meeting his own team at drone control - the key point of interest in his own zone. Atlantis was out of drones but the system itself still had the potential to deliver weaponry and so would be a logical choice for a would be bomber.

"What are we looking for Sir?" Nate Coughlin asked, walking beside Evan, his P-90 ready just in case they came across the culprit in action.

"Something that doesn't belong," Lorne repeated Colonel Sheppard's vague description, glancing at his second. "Hopefully it'll stand out as not being Ancient Sergeant, otherwise I'm not sure any of us will recognise it for what it is."

"Why would the Trust want to destroy the city?" Reed asked, bringing up the rear with Airman Cheung beside him.

"Your guess is as good as mine," Lorne shrugged before offering his first suggestion. "Maybe they're worried about the Wraith using our gate to get to Earth. The Trust aren't exactly known for their logic."

"No Sir," Reed agreed.

"Right," Lorne said when they turned the corner and walked into the drone room. The racks of empty shelves where the small missiles should have rested were depressing to see ... any threat to the city carrying more weight because they no longer had that capacity to defend themselves. Evan hadn't seen the Ancient weapons in action for himself but from what he'd heard they were scarily impressive. "Reed, Cheung – search over there," he pointed to his left. "Coughlin, with me."

Switching his P-90 torch on for extra illumination, Lorne walked forward slowly, covering every inch on his row with Coughlin working the one next to him. "Nothing," he concluded when they reached the other end, looking to Nate. "You?"

"No Sir," Coughlin replied. "To be honest though, I don't think that's saying a lot. Shouldn't Doctor McKay or one of the other scientists be able to detect stuff that shouldn't be here?"

"It's a big city," Evan pointed out, "a fair portion of which we haven't explored in detail. That's the physical. From what I can tell the database is so big it'll take years to look at everything in there." Still, Nate's words had given him food for thought. If there was ever a time when having a natural gene connection with the Ancients would be useful, surely now would be it.

"Keep searching Sergeant," he directed his team mate. "I want to look at the control console." Returning to the controls at the entrance Evan stood for a moment, trying to decide how to go about it. With a shrug he swiped a hand over the console, powering up the system.

"Ah ... Major Lorne?" McKay's voice in his ear wasn't unexpected.

"Yes Doctor," Lorne said patiently.

"I'm reading a power up in the drone room," McKay advised.

"Yeah, that would be me," Lorne explained. "There's nothing obvious to check down here Doctor so I thought I'd see if anything popped with the power running. We're okay with the ZPM disconnected, right?"

"I should think so, yes," Rodney shot back impatiently. "Just don't do anything stupid Major ... since we don't know how the bomb's been rigged to explode we have no way of predicting the effects of different systems being in operation simultaneously."

"Understood," Lorne smirked. "And for the record ... I never _plan _to do anything stupid. That's more your deal, isn't it?"

"Yes, very funny," Rodney said sarcastically. "When you're done amusing yourself Major let me know what you find. McKay out."

Evan chuckled, feeling that his 'tolerate/annoy' relationship with the head of everything science related was developing just fine. Lucky he had an actual friendship with Radek should he ever need real help with the science stuff.

Turning his attention back to the console Lorne contemplated the display for a moment, everything reading in the green as far as he could tell. Resting his hand on the console he tried to 'connect' more actively with the systems, tried to tap into that static that was always there in the background. Aside from getting an increased volume of mental noise in return, his attempts were pretty much ineffectual. Feeling more and more ridiculous Evan tried something more active. "_Ah ... is there anything wrong with the drone control system?_" he thought uncertainly, not sure what he'd get back or even if the systems 'mental' aspect extended to that kind of questionning.

The console flashed Ancient blue light up into his eyes before returning to the normal display, the flash bright enough to have him seeing the negative image when he looked away. It was a pretty clear message that he'd achieved something ... he just wasn't sure what.

"_Is that good or bad?_" Evan tried again, reassuring himself that really what he was doing was no different than talking to a computer with voice activated controls. Replace 'thoughts' for 'voice', which really wasn't that much of a stretch for a race that had built the gate network in multiple galaxies, and you were where he was right then.

He didn't get a verbalised thought back - plenty of relief there! - but if he could judge the tone of the city's hum in his head then he'd go with good. Since he'd done similar interpretations of the different kinds of static he'd registered in the past, he felt confident that he'd made the right conclusion.

"Sir?"

Looking up Lorne saw Coughlin standing in front of the drone racks watching him curiously.

"Sergeant," Evan glanced down at the control console before swiping his hand over it to turn it off again. "As far as I can tell there's nothing attached to this that shouldn't be there," he said with a self depreciating shrug. "Not that I'd really know for sure. You?"

"Reed and Cheung are just finishing up the last rows at the back Sir," Nate reported. "Nothing unusual stood out."

"Reed, return to the entrance," Lorne ordered via the radios. "We're done here."

"Yes Sir," Reed replied.

"Lorne to McKay," Evan continued, giving the same report of nothing found when Rodney answered.

The key system in their section done, Lorne reported in to Colonel Sheppard who ordered them to stand down and wait for further instructions. Evan told his team to take a lunch break, pretty sure they'd be called back to service sooner rather than later. Coughlin hung back, clearly wanting to walk with Lorne which probably meant he had questions of his CO that he didn't want his team mates to hear.

With an internal sigh, Lorne played along, slowing to give Nate the opening he needed.

"If you don't mind my asking Sir, what's it like, using your gene to give commands?" Coughlin asked.

"To be honest Sergeant it's kind of weird," Evan admitted. "Especially because I have no idea how it works, just that it does."

"So it's not like you talk to the city or anything?" Nate continued. "Because you looked pretty distracted by something back there Sir."

"Probably because I was trying to work out what the hell that display meant," Lorne said with a chuckle. "The only thing I achieved was a reminder to myself that I should leave the science stuff for the scientists."

Coughlin glanced at him before redirecting his gaze in front of him, nothing judgemental in his manner and yet unexpectedly Evan actually felt a little guilty, like he'd been caught out telling a lie instead of just withholding information. He knew what Nate was really asking and although he had no intention of telling him how far it went, a little bit of openness wasn't out of the question.

"I don't talk to the city Sergeant," he said in a low tone, "not if by talking you mean holding any kind of conversation. It's a little hard to explain," Evan added, thinking quickly for a way to elaborate. "Okay, right ... so, when you read a book, do you hear the words in your head?"

"Yeah, most of the time," Nate replied thoughtfully.

"I imagine most people are the same," Evan replied. "That's kind of what I do when I'm trying to activate something in the city. I think in words because that's what comes naturally to me. I have no idea how anyone else does it and I don't get words back or anything. I think in words and somehow the systems pick that up – like I said, I have _no_ idea how. I guess it's a little distracting when I'm trying to work out what to ask the systems for when I don't know what I'm doing ... like today."

"Even though I took the gene therapy I wasn't disappointed it didn't work. I don't envy you Sir," Nate admitted. "I don't think I'd like all the unknowns."

"I'm not sure I'm all that fond of them either," Lorne admitted ruefully. "Since I didn't get a choice I try to make the best of it. Does that make it clearer?"

"Yeah, it does. Thanks for explaining it Sir," Coughlin said.

"No problem Sergeant," Lorne returned. Picking up the pace a little, the two men caught up to the rest of their team just as they reached the mess hall entrance.

Grabbing a sandwich and water, Evan sat down, half listening to the usual flow of conversation but mostly thinking about the situation in the city and what other options there might be to help find the bomb. He'd just gotten to the point of contemplating the hologram as a means of finding out if the sensor systems could be used when his radio activated.

"Sheppard to Lorne. I need you up in the control room Major."

"On my way Sir," Evan replied, already getting to his feet. "Don't go far," he told his team before heading off.

* * *

An hour later they were involved in the next phase of the bomb situation – flying one of several Jumpers to the mainland to evacuate the Athosians. Lorne was happy to be off the hook for actually locating the bomb, McKay having come through and worked out that the ZPM, along with tampering of the fail safe systems, was enough to make a bomb without adding anything else.

It took many trips over the space of hours before all of Teyla's people were safely located within the city. Evan had literally landed the Jumper after the last trip, feeling mentally tired from so much active controlling of the systems, when he was called upon to organise everyone in the city, including the newly arrived Athosians, for beaming up to the Daedalus. The star drive had been activated ... Lorne stopped to get his bearings, his mental exhaustion dropping away abruptly, leaving a kind of nervous static clearly audible - to him anyway. The city was in trouble.

"How bad is it?" he queried Colonel Sheppard over the radio, already on his way to the control room to get started.

"Bad," Sheppard replied. "As in if we don't get the access code to switch the star drive off in the next twenty minutes Atlantis is vaporized."

"And how likely is it that we'll get this code?" Lorne asked urgently.

"Ronon just went to interrogate Doctor Kavanagh," John revealed, "so if he's got it I'd say pretty good. Get on to evacuating everyone anyway Major ... we need to cover every eventuality."

"Yes Sir," Lorne signed off, running through the steps in his head as he ran down the control room steps from the Jumper bay. He'd rather be working actively to save the city but didn't have a clue how to go about it. Trust was a big thing in Atlantis - trust that your team mates would have your back, that those back in the city would fight for you if you needed it ... and trust that the people with the skills required for any given situation would be able to use them to save everyone's hides. Today that meant trusting that either McKay would crack the code of Ronon would coerce it out of their prime suspect. That was their jobs for the crisis of the day. Lorne's job was to make sure that if the worst happened, no one would be left in the city to pay the price.

They had evacuation plans too that included every person being assigned to a group for beaming out. Evan would have to re-jig things a bit to include the Athosians but that shouldn't be a problem. Aware of Colonel Sheppard and the others pursuing the access code Lorne used another station and gave a city wide address to activate evacuation plans, talking with Marks up on the Daedalus to coordinate their efforts.

Within minutes they'd beamed up the first group, the beginnings of a steady stream of people congregating and being beamed from the Gateroom floor up to the orbiting ship. It was such a smooth operation that, fifteen minutes later, only the final groups who'd leave via the Puddle Jumpers were left in the city.

"All bar the Jumper groups have been evacuated Sir," Lorne reported to Colonel Sheppard. "The Daedalus will be ready to leave soon."

"Well done Major," John returned. "Meet your group in the Jumper Bay now."

"Yes Sir," Lorne replied like the good soldier he was. Inside he wanted to protest the order, to stay until the last moment like Colonel Sheppard and Doctor Weir intended. Surely they should do something more than just leave even though that left him back where he'd started, feeling like he had an untapped resource he couldn't find a way to get at quickly enough for it to help. It wasn't right ... he felt agitated over the potential destruction of Atlantis. Some of that was his own feeling but he suspected some of it came directly from the city itself, the hum of systems shifting in his mind from background to foreground with foreboding overtones the longer the stardrive remained on.

"Doctor Beckett, are you ready to leave?" Lorne radioed Carson, one of the final group scheduled for his Jumper. Coughlin, Reed and Cheung were back with him, the team heading for the Jumper Bay as ordered.

"Not quite Major," Carson replied in an almost whisper. "Teyla and some of her people are conducting a ceremony."

"_Now_?" Evan asked incredulously. That explained the singing he'd heard in the background and discounted as unlikely.

"That's right lad," Beckett admitted. "It looks like they might be almost done ... if you can wait a few minutes?"

"How many Athosians?" Lorne was annoyed because he'd assigned all of Teyla's people for the beam outs but clearly some of them had disregarded those assignments without consulting him. It was hard to guarantee that everyone was accounted for when they failed to inform the person running the evacuation of their intentions.

"I haven't done a head count Major but I'd say about fifteen to twenty."

"Great," Evan shook his head, a headache beginning to press outwards across his forehead. "They won't all fit in my Jumper Doctor. I'll have to shuffle them through the remaining groups. Hang tight and keep them all with you ... I'll be down there shortly."

"Righteo Major," Carson agreed, still whispering.

"Go get the Jumper ready," Evan told the rest of his team. "I'll be there once I've sorted out the Athosians."

"Yes Sir," Reed, Coughlin and Cheung all chorused, continuing to the Jumper Bay while Evan detoured to Carson's location.

"Attention all remaining personnel," Elizabeth's voice echoed over the all city address system, slowing his steps. "You may now stand down from evacuation. The threat has been eliminated. Your colleagues will be returned from the Daedalus over the next few hours. In the mean time return to your usual duties as best you can. Weir out."

The relief was instant ... from Lorne _and_ from Atlantis. He hadn't realised just how loud the city's melodious hum had gotten, the build up had been so gradual, until it abruptly returned to its usual levels.

"Thank God for that," he muttered, doing an about face and heading for the control room. Now all he had to do was reverse his efforts of the past hour and the city would be back to normal. "_All in a day's work!_" he thought ruefully.

* * *

"I can't believe Rodney had the audacity to suspect _me_ as the bomber," Cadman exclaimed, still annoyed at McKay's behaviour.

It was movie night, the one that Evan had agreed to attend, and they were already part way through watching Carson's choice – Braveheart, for obvious reasons although a little more bloody than Evan would have guessed he'd choose. The five of them were scattered on the couches in one of the recreation rooms set up for that purpose, only Carson and Laura sitting close enough to be of interest to the casual observer.

"Don't be too hard on him Lieutenant," Lorne advised. "You _are_ the only explosives expert on Atlantis right now and at the time he had no way of knowing there wasn't an actual, physical bomb in the city."

"Yeah, but I've been in his head," Laura persisted. "He should know better!"

"Wasn't that a one way thing?" Jennifer Keller asked.

"She's right love," Carson told Laura in his usual gentle tone. "Rodney didn't get to see inside your head. He doesn't know you as well as you know him."

"Don't remind me," Laura shuddered dramatically.

"Wouldn't getting a real insight into how the male mind works be a kind of gift?" Doctor Moon asked. "I know from a cultural point of view it would help me work out how to approach alien races for negotiations if I really understood how they think."

"No one should get that close to another person," Evan muttered half under his breath.

"You don't like the idea of someone getting inside your head Major?" Jennifer teased.

"Hell no!" Lorne grimaced. "Don't tell me you'd really sign up for that if you had the chance Doc."

"Probably not," Jennifer admitted. "It's not as interesting in my head as you might expect."

"Exactly!" Evan grinned. "Let's keep the natural line between the sexes where it belongs. Keep the mystery instead of killing it."

"Well said lad," Carson agreed.

"As someone who's been there, done that, I have to agree wholeheartedly with that very wise decision," Laura intoned with feeling.

"We caught the culprit," Evan pointed out, still hardly able to believe it had been Colonel Caldwell, Goa'uld-ed months ago. "Atlantis didn't blow up and everyone is back where they're supposed to be. Sounds like a successful day at the office to me."

"And no one was injured," Carson added. "Aside from Charin who died from natural causes, unheard of in this galaxy."

"I find that very sad," Jennifer said softly. "Everyone should have the chance to live to see old age."

Everyone nodded silently. The sounds of battle from the screen seemed to grow in volume suddenly, clashing with the tone of the conversation.

"Movie," Cadman said, redirecting everyone's attention.

Lorne refocussed, deciding that attending hadn't been a bad idea after all. He always enjoyed spending time with Cadman and Carson was good value, even more so as Evan witnessed firsthand their introductory dancing around each other, precursor to a closer relationship. And it was interesting getting to know Jennifer and Claudia better, in a non work setting. Doctor Keller in particular ... Lorne was already sure they had enough in common to become friends. It was nice to feel that instant rapport with someone and have it be nothing more than like minded people making a connection – nothing man/woman romantic about it. After his inexplicable reaction to Doctor Darnell the other day Lorne welcomed the simplicity.

Settling back, he reached for a handful of popcorn and let himself get immersed in a tale of epic struggle in a different time and place.

**Authors Note:**

A reviewer pointed out last chapter that readers might not be aware that you don't have to be a registered user of the site to leave a review ... so I thought I'd be helpful and point that out *winks* (doesn't count as a plug for reviews because I'm just being helpful, really). I'm sure there are things I should say about my decisions for this chapter but I'm brain faded enough to not have any clue what they are ... so, anything that seems off here, I totally did it for a reason (hopefully!) ... LOL. Thanks for reading.


	15. Gracious and Prudent

**Chapter 15: Gracious and Prudent**

"Major Lorne?"

Evan looked up from his desk to see Doctor Prudence Darnell standing in his doorway, looking both determined and hesitant at the same time.

"Doctor," he smiled slightly, half rising from his chair before she waved him back down, moving forward quickly to take a seat in his visitor's chair. "What can I do for you Doc?" Lorne asked, leaning back in his own chair comfortably.

"I wish to visit M4R-322," Prudence announced purposefully. She had a challenging look in her eyes like she was already poised to counter the arguments she thought he'd make against that. She'd completed her firearms training successfully - with his help, which Lorne knew still rankled - and was certified for off world travel. Certified but still uninitiated which made her request interesting.

"What's on M4R-322 that requires your presence?"

"From my research of the Ancient database, the best source of middle era written Ancient dialect," Doctor Darnell explained, her expression turning earnest. "If I'm to build an effective Ancient translator, one that doesn't require someone to still have a basic level of understanding of the language to interpret the results, then I need to include as many dialects as I can."

"There's more than one version of the Ancient language?" Lorne asked, curious and charmed by his first real view of her as the science geek he knew she must be to do the job she'd signed up for.

"Language is fluid Major," Prue explained, leaning forward a little as she continued. "In your lifetime you might notice the emergence of a handful of words that didn't have meaning when you were a child. Multiply that out by thousands of years and you can begin to appreciate just how much a language can change over time. And it's not just the changes in vocabulary. Syntactics, semantics, pragmatics – they allow for infinite meaningful combinations of a finite set of symbols that can change dramatically even in a hundred years."

She got more animated, less formal in her word choice when she was passionate about something. That was what struck Evan as he listened. Maybe more like the real her and less the facade she seemed to feel was necessary when dealing with him? Why she felt that need was a conversation for another day, when he was feeling a little braver or a little more reckless, depending on how you looked at it.

"And you need to include all the versions in your translator," Lorne concluded, nodding thoughtfully.

"As many as I can find enough examples of, yes," Prue confirmed.

"Why can't you get all this from the database?" Evan asked. "Didn't the Ancients keep a dictionary or something similar?"

"I said the change was fluid Major, but it's gradual too," Doctor Darnell explained. "The Ancients were no better at keeping track of the various versions of their language constructs and history than we've been. If the changes had been rapid history would reflect them but over such a long time frame no one would have noticed or thought the emergence of a single word worthy of note."

"Like the frog in boiling water," Lorne suggested with a quick grin. "Heat him up slowly enough and he cooks before he works out the climate's changed."

"A cruel analogy but accurate, yes," Prue agreed, amusement lending a light to her dark eyes. "I took the liberty of speaking with Doctor Weir and she agreed that my reasons for visiting M4R-322 are valid."

"Which is why you're here," Lorne concluded.

"Doctor Weir indicated that you were in charge of the off world mission schedule," Prue explained needlessly, suddenly looking nervous again.

"Relax Doc," Lorne swivelled and tapped a few commands into his computer, bringing up his master schedule. Quickly running through it he found an opening. "Captain Cheeseman's team have a free slot middle of next week." He moved to type in Doctor Darnell's mission into the timetable.

"Oh," Prudence shifted in her chair, frowning at the back of his computer screen. "I was hoping ...," she trailed off.

"Hoping what?" Lorne paused, his fingers hovering over the keyboard as he met her eyes.

"I was hoping I'd be able to accompany _your _team Major Lorne."

She was back to the formal tone but it didn't fool him this time. "You finally find something to like about me Doc?" he asked, eyes twinkling teasingly.

"Yes, no ... whether I personally like you or not is immaterial Major," Prudence stumbled through her words, giving him an exasperated glare.

"Sorry, right, of course not," Lorne couldn't keep the smirk completely from his face. Rattling her was becoming one of his favourite amusements - because she was just so damn earnest and serious. "Then what _is _material Doctor? Because I'm sure there's a reason you want my team to escort you."

"You have the gene," Prue said simply.

"Yeah, me and about half the expedition at the last count," Evan countered. "Including at least one member of every off world team."

"Not naturally," Doctor Darnell persisted, rushing into further speech before he could comment. "Those numbers are much lower Major. I know there's no real way of measuring proficiency when utilising the gene but the evidence clearly shows that natural gene holders are successful at operating unfamiliar Ancient technology far more often that the artificial gene holders."

"Don't let McKay hear you calling him artificial," Lorne quipped, earning a faint smile from Prue.

"So, will your team take me to M4R-322?" she asked hopefully.

"Let me get this straight," Evan began. "You want to look for examples of an older version of written Ancient but you also think there might be Ancient tech there so you want me along to switch things on for you? Because if that's it, you know Colonel Sheppard is much better at that stuff than I am and I'm sure he'd be happy for his team to escort you."

"Not Ancient tech as much as doors that might need opening," Prue smiled suddenly, "and correct me if I'm wrong Major but didn't you free Colonel Sheppard's team from an Ancient jail recently, one the Colonel couldn't get out of himself?"

"We should think about restricting access to those mission reports," Lorne muttered, thinking quickly. He didn't want to set himself up as the person to go to if you wanted to get in somewhere that needed the gene but at the same time if he tried to shift Doctor Darnell's mission on to Colonel Sheppard he'd definitely hear about it. The last thing he wanted was for his CO to think he was avoiding a mission to avoid a woman ... that wasn't what was driving him but that's how it would come over and any protest he made would just make that impression stronger.

"For the record Doctor, McKay was pretty sure that door was only operable from the outside. No special gene skills required." He looked at his master timetable again quickly, already knowing when his next off world mission was scheduled. "We're running training tomorrow but my team could escort you the day after. Is that acceptable?"

"Yes it is Major," Prudence pressed her lips together but Evan knew she was seconds away from grinning triumphantly.

"No promises on getting you in somewhere if it turns out to be locked away," Lorne cautioned.

"Of course," Doctor Darnell stood, Lorne's manners having him getting to his feet too. "Thank you Major."

"No problem Doctor," Lorne returned, waiting to sit down again until she'd nodded and then turned to leave with an extra spring in her step. Typing in the new mission he then sent a message to Doctor Weir to confirm that the requested mission had been scheduled, along with notifications to his team and a request to Doctor Darnell for a mission briefing paper on M4R-322. First off world missions were memorable, not always positively – just look at what had happened on _his._ Still, he was looking forward to seeing how Prudence handled herself when it was no longer just theory and training.

* * *

"I hear you're taking Doctor Darnell off world," Colonel Sheppard commented as he took a seat for the regular update meeting Lorne insisted on him attending.

After six months John was more than convinced that he could leave the running of the city in Lorne's hands and find it in exactly the same state when he got back. He'd be happy to pass on the updates but the Major did his version of Atlantis military 2IC in his usual studious, quiet manner, to the point that John felt a little like a naughty child whenever he attempted to skip out of various tasks. Occasionally Sheppard thought of reminding the Major that he was in fact the leader of the entire military contingent of a small city and didn't have to attend anything he didn't want to, but he knew Lorne would just nod patiently before pressing on with whatever it was he thought John should know. It was a small thing to listen as Lorne gave him a run down on various things - the man was never boring, usually just picking out the exceptions or giving John a heads up on what could be emerging issues for any of their personnel. John had quickly concluded that Lorne was invaluable to the city and it'd be best for his own sanity to just let the other man do what he thought was necessary.

"Yes Sir. I added a mission to the roster this morning," Lorne acknowledged, looking surprised John would know that so quickly.

"Elizabeth mentioned it," Sheppard said casually. He paused and then spoke again. "So ... you and Doctor Darnell are getting along now?"

"I wouldn't say that we ever _didn't _get along," Evan replied, shifting in his seat as he shot his CO a look before returning his attention to his data pad. "With the added mission I'll have to put back evaluations for the last group of recruits a couple of days."

"That's fine," John dismissed, finding the temptation to rib his 2IC too strong to ignore. "So Darnell isn't painful anymore?"

"You're not gonna let me forget that, are you Sir?" Lorne looked momentarily pained before he regrouped. "Doctor Darnell takes her work pretty seriously Sir ... understanding that has alleviated some of my initial concerns."

"Right," Sheppard smirked, amused by the formal tone. "You _are _allowed to have personal feelings about the civilians Major - good or bad. I regularly tell McKay he's a pain in the ass and he's all the better for it."

"I'll take that under advisement Sir," Lorne said blandly. "Now, about the new recruit evaluations. I took the liberty of setting aside some slots in your calendar for you to meet with each of them individually."

"Of course you did," John muttered, slumping back in his seat. He saw the amusement Lorne was holding back and sighed. Maybe trying to get a rise out of Evan hadn't been a good idea - especially since he'd been hoping to palm those evaluations off on the Major. "Do I need to do all of them?" he asked plaintively.

"First impressions are important Sir," Lorne reminded him. "Plus it's good for morale for everyone to see you taking a personal interest."

"Of course it is," Sheppard retorted. "Fine, set up meetings with all of them. And if something comes up," _please God, let something come up! _Sheppard thought, "then you'll be taking over."

"Yes Sir," Lorne agreed easily.

"Okay, what else?" John listened to the rest of Lorne's weekly report with interest.

* * *

Lorne was already standing in the usual place on the Gateroom floor with his team in attendance when Doctor Darnell rushed in from the corridor, weighed down with a large backpack.

"Sorry Major," she huffed out, shifting the pack in an effort to get more comfortable.

"You got your whole lab packed in that thing?" Lorne nodded his head towards her gear.

"Pretty much," Prue smiled suddenly, looking up at him with an earnest expression. "I just didn't want to find out I needed a particular reference and not have it."

"Looks like there'll be no chance of that," Evan returned. "You do realise you'll have to carry that pack for a few hours, right?" The briefing she'd prepared showed no habitation near the gate on M4R-322, the nearest signs of life being at least a couple of hours away. The UAV had shown a heavily forested planet and although the hike would be long Lorne had decided it made more sense to leave the Jumpers back in Atlantis.

"Yes Major," Darnell said patiently, her excitement at the coming mission evidence. Nothing Lorne could say was going to dent that so he just nodded and shifted his attention up to the control room.

"We're ready down here," he told Chuck. "Dial it up." Reed and Coughlin moved forward until they stood just outside the kawhoosh zone, Lorne hanging back to remain beside Doctor Darnell.

Prudence watched the lights circle the gate, her expression unreadable. Evan saw the usual awe and enthusiasm but hers was coloured by other emotions he couldn't name. The plume of water burst out and then settled back - Lorne would have missed it if he hadn't been watching her. She looked sad ... and resigned. Frowning he moved a little closer, instinctively shifting into protective mode. "You okay Doc?" he asked in a low tone.

Her eyes leapt to his, the darkness lightened so that he realised abruptly they were brown and not black like he'd originally thought. The sadness lifted and she summonsed up a smile. "Seeing this," she gestured to the gate, "never fails to remind me of what's been lost."

"Lost?" Evan thought he knew what she was talking about but wanted to hear it in her words.

"The gate builders ... what they were and what they could have been if they'd taken a different path," Prue said quietly.

"And if the Wraith hadn't come along," Lorne added. "I like to think they'd be happy if they could see the city active again."

"They would be," Prue said with certainly.

"Since we'll never know, let's go with that then," Lorne smiled slightly, nodding to the wormhole again. "You ready ... because keeping that open is chewing up power and we don't want McKay down here ragging our asses."

"I heard that Major!" Rodney called down from the control room irritably.

"Oops," Lorne said insincerely, raising a genuine smile from Doctor Darnell.

"I'm ready Major," she said confidently, resettling her pack and striding forward.

"Coughlin," Lorne motioned for the Sergeant to go first, Reed falling into step beside him. The two men disappeared through the wormhole as Evan moved to walk beside Prudence. That look of sadness crossed her face again before she shook it off, stepping through the event horizon a millisecond before Lorne did himself.

On the other side were the trees they'd expected to see, surrounding the small clearing the gate was situated in. Reed immediately pulled out his scanner and walked a small circuit, looking for energy sources or signs of life. Coughlin did the same thing visually, checking the immediate vicinity for threats, while Lorne remained close to Doctor Darnell.

"All clear Sir," Reed reported. "Nothing interesting on the scan."

"Right," Evan turned to look at Prue. "So, which way Doctor?"

Prue looked upwards, noting the position of the afternoon sun heading towards their right and what would have been west back on Earth. "That way," she pointed in the opposite direction. "The database indicated the ruins are illuminated by the rising sun's rays," she explained.

"Poetic," Lorne commented, with a faint smile. It was the same direction as the settlement the UAV had spotted which made sense enough that Evan was happy to proceed. "Coughlin, you and Reed take point," he ordered, the four falling into the same arrangement they'd walked through the gate in. "Did you get off world back home much?" Evan queried as they walked.

"Not really," Doctor Darnell replied. "Doctor Jackson usually checked out anything with links to the Ancients."

"Ah," Lorne nodded. "What about after Daniel ... highlighted all the problems in that helpful way of his?" Evan asked, tongue in cheek. It was a fact though that usually when they found something Ancient of interest it was in the midst of trouble with the natives or the Goa'uld, ending up a one shot deal from a study perspective.

"I spent most of my time at the Ancient outpost in Antarctica," Prue offered. "King Arkon did let a small research team look at the ruins on P88-013 too."

"Really?" Lorne's brows rose in surprise. "I've been there," he explained when she looked at him curiously, hoping she wouldn't ask him what had happened.

"The columns date back millennia. In fact they're the source of much of my current knowledge about the differing dialects," Doctor Darnell launched into an animated description. "Initially it was believed the stones were carved by one individual but further research suggests that was impossible."

"Don't they make predictions about things that haven't happened yet, going on the timeline?" Lorne asked.

"We believe so," Prue smiled," and no, we don't know how that's possible. The evidence King Arkon gave us corroborates too many of the predicted events for it to have been random chance."

"So someone, maybe more than just one person, could see the future?" Lorne asked sceptically.

"That would be the easiest explanation," Prue replied.

"But you don't think so?" Evan picked up on her lack of agreement.

"No," the scientist agreed. "I have my own theories but so far no evidence to back them up. Part of my motivation for coming to Atlantis was to find that evidence."

"Well, good luck with that Doctor," Lorne said lightly.

"Thank you Major," Darnell returned, a small smile gracing her lips. It was one of those 'I know something you don't know' smiles and it had him wanting to question her more, while at the same time thinking he might not like what she came out with. Deciding to leave it for the time being he let silent descend and turned his attention to their surrounds.

They settled into a comfortable pace that chewed up the ground faster than Lorne would have guessed the Doc could sustain. Not because she wasn't fit - she was however much shorter than his entire team, and needed to take more steps just to keep up. Her face reddened and she was showing the effort in the pace of her breathing but she strode forward relentlessly, to the point that Lorne found himself impressed by her stamina and determination. Not that the later surprised him, he'd seen personal evidence of that in how she'd called him up on almost every detail when she'd first arrived in the city.

He made everyone take regular breaks, standard practice even more important in the heat of the planet. He wasn't sure what the temperature was but it felt about a hundred degrees and that was under the canopy of shade producing trees. No hike from the gate was ever endless even though some of them felt like they would be, and eventually the trees on M4R-322 began to thin a little. Moments later they found their first sign of prior inhabitants.

"Oh," Doctor Darnell rushed forward, dropping her pack on the ground as she knelt in front of the small stone plaque that looked too much like a tombstone for Evan's comfort.

"What is it?" he asked, standing guard over her, Coughlin and Reed also taking up defensive positions.

"Directions," she said absently, tracing a finger over the notches, her eyes focussed intently.

"What, like a street sign?" Lorne asked in surprise.

"Yes," Prue said, glaring at him in a very clear 'keep quiet, I'm trying to concentrate here' look.

"Neat," Evan murmured, moving away a little to give her some room.

Doctor Darnell spent a few minutes hovering in front of the stone before she stood, dusting off her knees, her expression thoughtful.

"So what does it say?" Lorne asked.

"Essentially it tells travellers to talk to the leader of the village ahead," Prue revealed.

"That's ... not really helpful, is it?" Evan pointed out blandly. "What if there aren't any people living there anymore?"

"Maybe it's like a treasure map Sir," Reed suggested with a grin. "Like on National Treasure!"

"Good movie," Coughlin commented knowledgeably. "Point A tells you to go to point B and when you get there it tells you to go to point C."

"We get it Sergeant," Lorne said, amused. "Let's hope we don't find anything that complex at the village." He looked around, deciding it was as good a place as any. "Take a break - with any luck we can still get there before it gets dark."

Coughlin and Reed moved to their packs, getting out water and rations in an easy routine that showed how often they'd done the same thing in the past. Doctor Darnell rummaged in her pack too but instead of turning up with food and water she pulled out a large sheet of paper and moved back to the stone.

"Doc - break time," Evan insisted, taking out his own water and drinking quickly as he walked over.

Prue ignored him, carefully placing the paper over the stone and then using a black crayon to scribble over the sheet, starting at the top.

"If you don't take a break you'll regret it later," Lorne told her.

"And if I don't get an impression of this now it'll be too dark later," Prue insisted. Glancing up at him she raised one of those expressive brows of hers at him pointedly. "You could help by holding the paper so I can work with both hands."

"Sure," Evan squatted at the back of the stone, replacing her left hand with his. His fingers brushed hers as they switched positions and he felt the now familiar jolt of inconvenient awareness that flowed from her to him. Ignoring it he kept his eyes focussed on what he was doing, not wanting to see an answering awareness in her eyes. Or would it be worse to look and _not_ see his reaction reflected in hers?

"Keep it straight Major," Prue instructed, shifting the paper until she was happy with its position.

"Sorry," Lorne murmured, letting his eyes rest on her face as she went about her task with single minded focus. All that intensity and enthusiasm was ... hot. "_Don't go there_," he reminded himself even as he continued to watch her intently.

"All done," she finally announced, tugging at the paper to get his attention. "Thank you Major," she said briskly, carefully rolling up her imprint before standing and again brushing off her pants.

Evan ignored that too - no way was he checking out her attributes, even if she was inadvertently drawing his eyes to them with all that brushing. "Any time Doctor," he said, voice sounding nice and casual, despite his thoughts. Picking up his water again he held it up in a wordless reminder that she still needed to take a break. "Five minutes," he announced before heading back to Coughlin and Reed.

She didn't complain, drinking some water and then pulling out a power bar which she pocketed in favour of repacking her stuff and hefting it back over her shoulder, letting out an inadvertent groan when it settled into place.

"Oh, for crying out loud," Lorne shook his head, striding back over and holding out a hand. "Give me the pack Doctor – no arguments."

Prue looked at him for a moment, assessing him for who knew what motives. When she silently shrugged off the pack and handed it to him he could only conclude that she'd found nothing to object to. "Thank you Major," she said quietly.

"Don't get used to this," Lorne felt the need to defend his chivalrous action as just being practical. "You get one free one so learn from it - next time you'll carry whatever you pack, no matter how bad your shoulders hurt."

Turning away before she could comment, Evan strode back to where Coughlin and Reed were standing, watching the proceedings.

"Not a word," Lorne cautioned grimly, grabbing his own pack and quickly adjusting the straps so he could wear it on top of Doctor Darnell's.

"Wasn't going to, Sir," Coughlin said, innocent expression firmly in place.

"Don't think it either," Lorne shot back, giving both of his team mates his 'command' face and ignoring the fact that they looked more amused than inclined to take him seriously. "Let's move out," he said briskly, taking point himself this time.

Doctor Darnell rushed forward to catch up to Lorne, Coughlin and Reed bringing up the rear. Lorne set a brisk pace, keen to get to the village before dark. Hopefully they'd find someone who knew where Prue's Ancient writing's were or at the very least could give them a friendly place to stay.

Evan spotted their potential first contact – a woman - before they were spotted in return. Slowing his pace he approached cautiously.

"Ah ... good afternoon," he began after making a 'clearing his throat, trying to get attention' noise.

"Greetings to you," the young woman replied, a friendly smile appearing on her face as she took in their appearance. "You are travellers from the great city?"

"The great city?" Evan repeated.

"The Ancestors home of old," the woman expanded. "Your uniforms are familiar to me, by description from those of the settlement who travel off world for supplies we cannot grow ourselves."

"Oh, right, sure," Lorne was surprised their notoriety had extended so far but decided to hold off on judging that as a potential problem. "Yes, we _are_ travellers from Atlantis. My name is Major Lorne." He gestured to each of his team as he continued the introductions. "Sergeant Coughlin, Airman Reed. And this is Doctor Darnell. She's the reason we're visiting today." He nodded for Prue to explain her purpose.

"The records of the Ancestors mention a site of learning that used to be on this planet, probably more likely to be just ruins rather than a structure after so long," Prue explained in a calm and open tone, her manner relaxed and very much different to what Lorne usually saw from her. "We are trying to learn more about the language of the Ancestors and I was hoping to find someone here who could take us there."

The woman listened, thoughtful after Prue finished her explanation. Shaking her head she began "I'm sorry. I know of no ruins near here. There are those among us much older than myself though, my grandfather included. Perhaps he will know of what you seek."

"We'd really appreciate the chance to ask around," Lorne took command of the conversation and the direction of the mission again. "If you could escort us to your settlement and introduce us to someone in authority we could discuss how we might be able to help your people as well."

"Help from those who reside with the Ancestors?" the woman asked, smiling. "It would be a privilege. Please, follow me."

Lorne exchanged a glance with Coughlin, getting a shrug in return. Since his gut was also telling him there was nothing to worry about so far, Evan put a hand to Doctor Darnell's back, urging her to walk with him. "Once we get to the settlement you go nowhere without me Doc," he ordered in an undertone.

Rather than protest his highhandedness Prue nodded. "Of course Major," she agreed.

"Okay, now you're starting to freak me out Doc," Lorne muttered, shooting her a frustrated glance. "First with the pack and now this ... usually you'd be arguing with me by now!"

"Perhaps you underestimate me Major Lorne," Prudence suggested primly. "I don't argue for form and I'm certainly intelligent enough to realise when an action is the most logical and reasonable approach, even one I didn't suggest myself."

"That's more like it," Lorne grinned. "Not sure I'd know how to act if you stop trying to put me in my place Doctor."

"I'm sure you'd work something out Major," Prudence returned smartly, turning her attention back to their guide.

"The settlement is just through here," their escort announced, pointing through the trees.

They followed, being led onto a dirt path with small, stone huts flanking both sides. It was a small settlement but had the feel of permanency about it.

"Kara, who do you bring to us this day?" An old man stepped from one of the larger huts, walking forward slowly.

Lorne watched his approach, amazed because the man had to be the oldest individual he'd personally come across in Pegasus – and probably the oldest any of the teams had met if he was any judge of age. He had long, gray to almost white hair, wrinkles on top of his wrinkles, and blue eyes that looked washed out as though the colour had faded over the many years he'd lived.

"Visitors from the city of the Ancestors Grandfather," their escort, Kara, replied happily, almost skipping forward to hug the old man.

"Then you are welcome here," the man replied. "I am Teneo. Welcome to Devario."

Beside him Evan heard Prue's faint gasp. When he glanced at her she looked pale, her eyes seemingly stuck in the wide open position.

"Doctor?" he queried, concerned.

"Doc?" he repeated when she didn't reply, her eyes still fixed on the old man's.

She wasn't just ignoring him – Evan was convinced that whatever had put that look on her face had grabbed her entire attention, and clearly that wasn't a good thing.

"Prudence," Lorne put his hand to her back, moving closer. As soon as his hand made contact she jerked backwards, stumbling into his side. Instinctively he wrapped an arm around her, steadying her until she made it clear she was okay. Letting her go he stepped forward.

"My name is Major Evan Lorne," Evan did the introductions quickly, his attention still more on the woman standing just behind him. "Sergeant Nate Coughlin, Airman Dan Reed, and Doctor Prudence Darnell."

"It is a pleasure to meet you Major Evan Lorne," Teneo said formally.

"Just Evan," Lorne returned, smiling. "The rest of that is my rank and family name."

"And does your name have meaning?" Teneo asked curiously. "_My _name means to persevere, to endure." He smiled as he continued. "I have wondered for many years now if my mother had a premonition of my longevity when she named me ... or perhaps in being labelled with such a name there was no other outcome but for me to see an age most of my people fail to achieve."

"Ah, I'm sure Evan does mean something, I just –"

"Gracious," Prudence spoke up. "Evan is a Welsh version of John so it means gracious."

"Doctor Darnell is one of our language experts," Lorne explained.

"And are you gracious Evan?" Teneo asked.

"I'd like to think so," Lorne replied, modesty giving his face a little more colour.

"Gracious means characterized by charm, good taste, and generosity of spirit," Prudence volunteered, her expression suddenly more relaxed. "I'm still trying to decide if Major Lorne can claim all of those traits," she added, a teasing light entering her eyes.

"Hey, I'd think about your own name before you go casting stones there Doc," Lorne shot back.

"Prudence," Teneo repeated. "And are you prudent Doctor?" he looked from Evan to Prue and back again, a small smile gracing his face.

"Yes," Prue said simply.

"Clearly we have different definitions then," Lorne retorted.

Teneo laughed, the sound young and fresh in a way that had Evan chuckling too. "We would welcome you regardless but I suspect you come to our planet with a specific purpose," he said more seriously.

"Doctor Darnell believes there are examples of early writing done by the Ancestors somewhere around here," Evan explained. "We were hoping you or someone else in the settlement would know where they are and be willing to direct us to them."

"Why do you wish to see these writings?" Teneo looked to Prue for an answer.

"Our work here is difficult because the language spoken by the Ancestors isn't our language," Prue explained. "It's my job to create something that can help everyone translate written Ancient with ease and accuracy and for that I need as many examples of the Ancestor's work as I can locate."

"We won't disturb the Ancestor's site," Lorne took up the explanation again. "Doctor Darnell will record what she finds without damaging anything and then we'll be on our way. And regardless of whether you agree or not, I'd be happy to discuss the various ways that help from Atlantis might assist your settlement."

Teneo thought for a moment and then nodded. "A worthy purpose and a generous offer," he said simply. "I know of these writings ... there are ruins of the Ancestor's buildings an hour's walk from here. You will stay with us tonight and I will direct Kara to escort you in the morning."

"But -," Prue began.

"It will be too dark to walk the path long before you could reach the ruins Doctor," Teneo's tone was fatherly, a strict almost reprimand for a child who was pushing the limits.

Prudence looked at him for a moment, silent, before nodding wordlessly.

"I am sure you would like a short rest before the evening repast. Kara, show our guests to our visitor rooms," Teneo requested of his granddaughter.

"Of course grandfather," Kara stepped forward again, bouncing excitedly. "I'm so happy you're staying," she exclaimed, taking Prue's hand and urging her forward. Since Lorne had no wish to be separated from her he had no choice but to follow along, listening to the girls gushing with half an ear, the rest of his attention on looking for potential threats.

"We're going to miss check-in," he told Coughlin when the other man fell into step beside him. An hour to the ruins, an hour back, plus the four hours they'd spent walking from the gate. Even with the mid morning check-in time, they'd struggle to get back to the gate in time. "You and Reed will have to go back to the gate at first light, tell them we'll be delayed."

"Sir?" Coughlin never liked it when Evan separated the team, even when it was necessary.

"This place is harmless," Lorne shrugged. "I think I can protect our civilian without you guys."

"I know you can Sir," Nate returned. "But who's protecting you?"

"Doctor Darnell's not a bad shot," Evan joked. "I'm not sure she wouldn't rather shoot me though."

"That's not what she was thinking when you took her pack Sir," Nate replied. He did that bland, innocent face so well Evan couldn't tell whether he was joking or just making an observation. Either way, he didn't want to talk about it.

"She'd have slowed us down Sergeant," he excused. "I'm sure she was just happy to give her shoulders a rest." The two men fell silent, following Kara inside her grandfather's house.

"Here it is!" Kara pushed open a door towards the centre of the structure, throwing her arms wide to encompass the space around them. It was one large room with partition like dividers that separated the space into four quadrants, each with its own sleeping pallet. Big on space, short on privacy. Great.

"Is this okay?" Kara suddenly looked uncertain.

"It's better than we usually get, so yeah, it's okay," Lorne reassured her.

"Please, take a few moments to renew yourselves," Kara invited. "I will see to the evening meal – if you return to the front where we came in you will find us."

"Thank you Kara," Prudence said gratefully.

Kara grinned before turning and hurrying from the room. Once she was gone Prue moved immediately to the furthermost quadrant, the one that would give her as much privacy as she could achieve in the open plan room.

Evan nodded for Coughlin and Reed to choose their bunks for the night, taking the remaining place next to Doctor Darnell. Shrugging off the packs he'd been carrying he dropped his on the bed before approaching Prue.

"Here," he held out the pack.

When she moved to take it, he didn't let go, watching her tug before she frowned, looking up at him. "Major?"

"What was that?" he asked her in a low tone.

"What was what?" she returned innocently.

"That reaction from before," he persisted. "You looked like you were about to keel over!"

"It was nothing Major," Prue dismissed, tugging at her pack again. Lorne let it go this time, grabbing her wrist when she turned away.

"No, it _was_ something Prudence," he used her first name deliberately, glad when her eyes shot to his. "You might not want to admit it but I know what I saw."

"I ...," she shook her head impatiently. "It was silly Major ... the name he gave for the settlement. It reminded me of something from the past. I'm sorry if my conduct was less than professional. It won't happen again."

"Get off your high horse Doc," Lorne drawled, dropping her wrist. "This isn't about being professional and you know it. I can't make you give me the full story but if this mission goes FUBAR and I find out you knew anything that could have helped I'll have your ass shipped back to Earth before you can say Ancestor. Are we clear?"

"Yes Major," Prue said, meekness sitting on her shoulders unnaturally.

"Good." Lorne glanced back to where Coughlin and Reed were sitting, the two men clearly ready to be on the move again. "We'll clear out, give you the chance to freshen up and you know ...," he waved a hand vaguely. "I'll be waiting for you in the corridor though, so don't take too long."

Prue nodded, standing where she was until he'd walked from the room, gathering Coughlin and Reed in his wake. And then she sat on the bed and buried her head in her hands.

**Authors Note:**

This takes place around the same time as Grace Under Pressure. Sorry I didn't get it out there yesterday - winter with all the colds going around, I knew one was finally going to find me. I'll get to review replies from last chapter when I can but in the mean time thankyou to everyone who reviewed. Your comments always make my day.


	16. A Different Kind of Pressure

**Chapter 16: A different kind of pressure**

Lorne was at the point of pacing up and down the hall before Doctor Darnell emerged from the team's shared room, her purposeful expression firmly back in place. Yes, there was that facade Evan was becoming too enamoured of cracking.

"Major," Prue kept her voice deliberately bland.

"Doctor," he returned, equally formal. Moving forward he led the way back to the front of the dwelling where Teneo and his granddaughter waited.

They'd set up at the side of the house, under a wide open roofed area. The table was low to the ground, requiring Lorne and his team to sit on mounds of thankfully soft underbrush. Settling himself across from Teneo, Evan tried not to pay too much attention to Prue, who, despite her standoffishness, had decided to sit beside him. She didn't talk to him, instead directing her attention across to Kara and her grandfather. Coughlin chose the place beside the old man leaving Reed the remaining place beside Lorne. The stage set, Evan looked up to see Teneo watching him curiously.

"Tradition dictates that before taking sustenance we choose something from the day to acknowledge as a gift from the Ancestors," Teneo began.

"We have something similar back home," Evan acknowledged, "where most of us come from anyway. We call it saying grace – usually we give thanks for the meal and the company."

"Well then," Teneo smiled, clearly pleased to have found something in common with his visitors. "I will start. It won't surprise you to know that for some years now I have daily thanked the Ancestors simply for another day of life. Today I add to that and thank them for the gift of visitors from their own fair city."

Lorne wanted to go next – make the obvious response to that as his own thanks - but the gentleman in him won out and he glanced at Prue, raising his brows in a silent invitation.

"Thank you Major," Prudence said softly. Her expression turned thoughtful as she let her eyes meet Evan's. It was like his existence wavered for a moment – as though he'd dropped off to sleep and awoken what felt like an instance later only to find that hours had passed. "I thank the Ancestors for the fact that there is still a connection between their time and ours, stronger in some than in others," Prue finally spoke, her words seemingly for Lorne alone. He frowned, wondering why she'd chosen a veiled reference to the ATA gene and those who possessed it.

"Yes," Teneo smiled. "We all feel that connection in our own way Doctor." He turned to Lorne, smiling at the way the younger man was looking at his companion. "Evan," his smile grew when his guest didn't immediately respond, requiring him to repeat the address. "Major Lorne?"

Evan blinked, turning his gaze back to Teneo. "Sorry," he muttered, realising suddenly that while he'd been considering Prue's words he'd been staring at her with little regard for their audience. Hoping his face wasn't as flushed as it felt Lorne tried to focus on the task at hand. "Right ... ah, I thank the Ancestors that we've finally come to a planet where the locals are welcoming instead of wanting to shoot us ... or worse."

"It sounds like you have many stories to tell," Teneo commented.

"You have _no_ idea," Lorne replied emphatically. Nodding his head at Nate he silently urged his second to continue with the ritual.

"I thank the Ancestors for an understanding family," Nate said simply.

Looking like he wanted to ask more, Teneo instead nodded at Coughlin approvingly before turning to Dan Reed curiously. "And you, young man?"

"Ah ...," Dan looked at his CO, silently begging for inspiration. Evan glanced at Nate and then back to Dan, the suggestion clear. Dan grinned, nodding. "I thank the Ancestors for my friends," his eyes sparkled with mischief as he continued "even the annoying ones."

Nate narrowed his eyes but Lorne saw the humour there – as a team they had rank and therefore a hierarchy, but Coughlin no more than Lorne wanted to stand on that every second of the day. As such, particularly during social engagements like the one they were currently involved in, the men more often acted like three friends rather than a military team.

"I will finish grandfather," Kara said. "I thank the Ancestors for giving me a home here when mine was destroyed." Pressing a kiss to the old man's cheek, the girl jumped up. "I'll bring out our meal," she said, hurrying off before anyone could offer to help.

"She says the same thing every day," Teneo murmured to Lorne. "We are creatures of habit, both of us."

"Her home was destroyed?" Lorne queried.

"It was," Teneo said sadly, "and her entire family culled or slaughtered by the Wraith. Not here," he added when Evan glanced around at the surrounding homes where other families were also taking their evening meals. "I found Kara on a nearby planet that had been devastated by the Wraith and brought her here."

Prue sighed, her expression saddened. "It has happened on too many worlds," she said, Lorne wondering how the scientist would know that. "Kara was lucky to have someone to look after her and give her a home," Prue continued, smiling at Teneo with approval in her eyes.

"Kara calls you grandfather," Evan noted.

"A sign of respect," Teneo chuckled, "or her way of reminding me how old I've become." His smile dropped as troubling memories took over. "Do you have family Evan?" he asked almost wistfully.

"Sure, back home," Lorne replied easily.

"A mate? Children?" Teneo persisted.

"Ah ... no," Evan shrugged. "A military life so far from where we came from originally doesn't lend itself to that kind of lifestyle," he added, the old man's expression urging him to explain.

"And in the city of the Ancestors?" Teneo asked intently. "Your people are all military?"

"Not exactly, but we're under constant threat and no one wants to bring their family into that," Lorne explained. "Those who want marriage and children eventually go back home ... I don't – not at this stage anyway." The conversation had gotten unexpectedly personal but it wasn't the first time he'd had to open up a little in order to explain the customs and beliefs of the people he was representing. Alliances and agreements sometimes depended on how well teams from Atlantis could show who they were - beyond the firepower and capability to put a dent in the Wraith's activities in the galaxy.

"I see," Teneo nodded sadly. "Then let me share some of my own story with you Evan."

He paused when Kara returned with a platter of bowls – a hearty stew made from local vegetables – and placed one in front of each person before retaking her own seat. To murmured thanks they all took a few moments to enjoy the simple but tasteful fare before Teneo spoke again.

"You see before you a changed man, Major," Teneo deliberately used Lorne's rank. "It truly is the work of the Ancestors that I am here to talk to you this night, for my early years were spent giving my services to whichever army seemed best able to use them against the Wraith. I was much as you are Evan – a soldier first and foremost – and were it not for Kara here I would have remained so, expecting fate to eventually catch up with me. Instead I abandoned what I was to give her a home and in return discovered all that I had sacrificed without stopping to consider its value."

"You never had a family of your own?" Nate asked, appearing captivated by the story.

"I believed that it wasn't for one such as I – that I had no right to claim a connection to anyone when I could be killed by the Wraith at any time," Teneo inadvertently echoed one of the arguments Lorne always used when pressed about his own choices and the similarity bothered Evan more than he'd care to admit.

"Instead you have many more years of life to look forward to," Kara declared, smiling at her adopted grandfather.

"Yes," Teneo agreed. He shifted to glance at Coughlin curiously. "Are your circumstances different Sergeant? You have a family, a mate?"

"Ah," Nate glanced at Lorne before answering. "I'd call her a girlfriend but yeah, I do, back home. It just seems pointless to me to fight for your country if you don't have anything more personal there to fight for as well," he admitted. "Don't get me wrong, it's hard to be so far away that it's months between visits but it's not forever and my girl really does understand why we do what we do."

"Then you are very lucky Sergeant. And you?" Teneo asked Reed.

"Too young," Dan grinned winningly. "I'm not opposed to the idea but I want to shop around before I make a purchase ... ah, trade with a number of vendors before settling on one supplier," he added when Teneo looked confused.

Teneo burst into appreciative laughter. "Well said, young man," he congratulated, still smiling. "For some of us a great deal of ... shopping around," he tested the unfamiliar words with a smile, "is required before we find what we seek." It seemed like he'd deliberately left questioning Doctor Darnell until last. When he turned his attention to where she sat silently beside Lorne, Prudence smiled complacently.

"A woman needs a little mystery," she said simply, earning another chuckle from Teneo.

"I can see that," he said sagely. "Well, my granddaughter and I thank you all for your candour ... and for your patience towards an old man."

Coughlin smiled, looking like he still had plenty of questions to ask their host. He shifted so that he could talk to Teneo, sparking the usual subset of small talk for a gathering of people dining at a single table.

"That's it? That's your answer?" Evan muttered to Prudence.

"Are you commenting because you want to know my real views on romance Major, or because you're annoyed you didn't think of giving a similarly vague answer?" Prue kept her own tone low enough to not be overheard.

"Ah," Lorne glanced at the others, noted that no one was paying them specific attention, and then turned an intent look back on Prue. "Let's say yes to the first point - as a matter of academic curiosity - and hell yes on the second point Doctor."

"Academic curiosity?" Prue's dark eyes sparkled, her amusement apparent. "Well, far be it for me to stand in the way of anyone's academic development Major." As she let her eyes dwell on Evan's, it seemed as if they darkened, their depths as mysterious as she'd declared, drawing him in until he was only peripherally aware of what was going on around them.

"Connections are important ... for the small part in the continuum of life that we each represent, and for the contribution we make to the entire picture," Prue began, her voice soft but sure. "I believe a large part of that picture is about what we can be when we're lucky enough to find someone who compliments and thus strengthens us. But I agree with you in one respect Major Lorne ... timing is as important as being given the opportunity to meet the right person in the first place – because sometimes what we contribute to the big picture is much larger than our individual concerns. We must put what we want aside to ensure we fulfil our ultimate purpose and hope that the grand scheme gives us a second chance when the timing is right."

Lorne kept his eyes on her as he thought over what she'd revealed ... and it _was_ a 'reveal' – an insight into her he was surprised she'd shared with him. She believed in there being a right person for everyone ... but she also believed in sacrificing finding them for the greater good. Evan wasn't sure he could agree on the first point, despite the evidence provided by almost every friend he'd ever made during his career, but he certainly agreed with the second. At the end of the day he'd sacrificed that 'normal' life to have the career he was pursuing.

That they had such a fundamental belief in common threw him ... because the attraction was there, on his side and if he wasn't mistaken on hers too. If it had just been a simple attraction he could ignore it but, being in an honest mood, Evan had to acknowledge that the buzz of connection he'd experienced the few times he'd touched Prudence Darnell felt like a lot more than simple attraction. The trouble was, he had no idea what the more was and even less idea on whether he should risk trying to find out.

"You think me foolishly romantic," Prudence said ruefully when Lorne remained silent, casting him a sideways glance before resolutely turning her attention away.

"Not at all ... maybe I'm a little surprised to find we actually agree on something Doctor," he admitted.

"And now you're humouring me Major," she said with a shake of her head.

"No," Evan had his hand over hers where it rested on the low table before he'd thought about it, "I'm _not_." This time the surge of electricity between them wasn't surprising - it just confirmed what he'd been thinking which only worried him more.

Prudence tensed the second his hand made contact with hers, her eyes shooting to his. When he felt her instinctive withdrawal, rather than let her go Lorne turned the light touch into a firm but gentle clasp of hands, keeping them in contact.

"Major?" Prue's voice trembled slightly as she tugged on her hand a second time.

"Doctor," Lorne smiled, watching as she glanced down at their hands. He could almost see the calculation going on in her head – get more 'forceful' in trying to break his hold and cause a scene, or relent and put herself in the position of having to find out why the hell he wanted to hold her hand in the first place.

"You know, I'm not opposed to hand holding as a rule Major, but now is hardly the time to be engaging in anything personal," she said, casual amusement firmly in place.

"_She's good_," Evan thought, his smile deepening. If he hadn't heard the nervousness, seen the faint blush colouring her skin, or felt the pulse galloping at her wrist, he'd have been convinced she was unaffected. "If that's an invitation Doctor, I'd be more than happy to take this conversation somewhere a little more private," he returned, deliberately challenging her bluff.

That pushed Prue over the line – when she tugged on her hand this time Lorne knew to let go before he was the one making a scene. "I was right Major – gracious doesn't fit you at all!"

"You wound me Doc," Lorne put a hand to his heart teasingly. When she glared at him he sighed, turning abruptly serious. "You're right Prudence – this isn't the time or place to talk." Her posture softened somewhat at that, until she registered what he said next. "We do need to talk though, so I'll warn you now. Don't tell me you didn't feel whatever the hell that was when I touched you because we both know it would be a lie."

"On the contrary Major, there is _nothing_ about our prior interactions that requires further conversation," Prudence said forcefully. "I would prefer you to keep your arrogant delusions to yourself."

"See, now I know I'm on to something here," Evan didn't take offense. "Ever hear the phrase 'the lady doth protest too much'?"

"Hamlet?" Prudence laughed suddenly. "You're using _Shakespeare_ to win an argument?"

"Whatever works Doc," Lorne replied piously. He paused for a moment, considering his options. "Look," he cast her an earnest, open gaze. "I'm not looking to complicate anything here – and honestly, I'm no more happy about this than you are. I don't want anything from you Doctor, but you have to admit, there _is_ something going on between us. I just ... I need to understand what so we can put it aside, okay?"

"Very well," Prudence agreed after looking at him silently for long enough that he really began to wish he knew what she was thinking. "As long as you realise this can't go anywhere Major."

"I think you've made that abundantly obvious Doctor – my ego gets the message loud and clear," Lorne replied pointedly. "I think I can control myself ... if you can."

"Never in doubt," Prue said confidently.

That pretty much killed any hope of a casual conversation between them. Lorne tried to tune in to what Nate and Teneo were talking about while pretending he wasn't still too aware of Prudence.

"How long did you have to study to learn the language of the Ancestors Doctor Darnell?" Kara asked her.

"For a very long time," Prue replied, her tone kind and open to further questioning. "And please, call me Prudence."

"Prudence," Kara repeated almost reverently, still excited to be visiting with people from the Ancestor's home. "Would everyone have to study for that long?" she queried hopefully.

"You have an interest in learning Ancient?" Prue deduced, smiling approvingly.

"Grandfather has many stories to tell of our Ancestors," Kara admitted with a smile. "None about the ruins you seek ... he inspires me to want to search out signs of where we came from. Your arrival will have people coming from outside our settlement to study. I would like to have a part in that."

"I'd be happy to teach you some basics," Prudence offered. "I can set up a tool we use called a computer so that you can continue lessons once we return home."

"Really?" Kara asked excitedly. When Prue nodded, the young girl turned to her grandfather, tugging on his arm to get his attention. "Grandfather ... Prudence is going to teach me the language of the Ancestors!"

"Learning is never wasteful," Teneo commented, happy in the face of his granddaughters excitement. "We would not impose on your time however," he added, looking to Lorne.

"You won't be," Evan reassured the old man. "We have tools Doctor Darnell can give you so that Kara can still learn after we return home. We'll have to come back from time to time to recharge ... ah, make sure they still work, but the rest of the time you won't need us to be here."

"What seems like magic to us is but part of day to day existence for your people," Teneo murmured, his eyes on Kara as she turned back to Prudence, full of questions. "I would like that kind of life for my granddaughter when ...," he trailed off, looking back to Lorne, the rest of that sentence easy to read. "... w_hen I pass on as eventually I must_."

"I'll speak to our leader," Lorne promised, understanding the man's need to provide for his granddaughter after he was gone. Doctor Weir wasn't exactly in the habit of taking in people from other planets but the Athosian's were a precedence Evan thought he could use to argue a case for Kara. And the idea of young people from their allies living and studying in the city for a time made sense if it led to better cooperation across the galaxy.

Teneo's eyes brightened with the faint sheen of tears Lorne pretended not to notice. He simply returned the other man's grateful nod and turned his attention away to give Teneo the chance to regain his composure. In all likelihood the hopes Teneo had for Kara's future were why he'd insisted on observing their pre dinner ritual of thanks as well as why he'd told them about his past as a warrior, and asked the questions about family beliefs it had sparked. Teneo wanted to know what sort of people he'd potentially be leaving his granddaughter's welfare to.

"That was very nice of you Major," Prue commented in an undertone as Kara jumped up to clear away their bowls.

"He's old and worried about how much time he has left," Evan excused his actions in an equally low tone. "I don't blame him for seeing an opportunity and trying to make the most of it."

"Yes, but you didn't have to go so far to alleviate his concerns," Prue persisted.

"It won't be up to me Doctor," Evan looked at the woman who was quickly becoming a thorn in his side. He didn't want someone to always agree with him but Prue called him up on everything, sometimes forcing him to step up when he'd much rather keep his actions in the background. "Doctor Weir will decide if Kara has a future with us. I'll just bring her case to notice."

"You are an annoying contradiction Evan Lorne," Prudence declared irritably. "One the one hand you won't take a compliment you've earned, but the rest of the time you deliberately provoke me about the various aspects of your character I should find likeable."

"Why thank you Doctor," Lorne returned in a pleased tone.

"That wasn't a compliment!" Prue would have stomped a foot if she'd been standing.

"Contradictions are good," Lorne grinned before adding "after all, a guy's gotta have a little mystery."

"Touché Major," Prue struggled for a moment before giving in to her amusement.

* * *

The next morning Lorne rose just after dawn and left the team's shared room quickly and quietly. Truth be known he'd slept poorly, when he was sleeping at all, too aware of Prudence sleeping only an arm's length away. Retiring for the night felt awkward and Lorne hadn't missed the way Coughlin and Reed just barely hid their amusement. To his mind their conclusions were more than a little unfair ... Prue was an attractive woman who'd garner attention from any number of guys in Lorne's shoes. Coughlin already had a girl and Dan was too young to consider Prue as his type but Evan didn't have either of those excuses – so really it was only natural that he'd take notice. Although, come to think of it Lorne wasn't sure how old Prue actually was – maybe Dan wasn't that far off the mark. No – she was mature in a way Dan hadn't acquired yet, in a way that probably wouldn't attract the younger man. The fact that Lorne found that conclusion reassuring only added to his troubled mood.

As he made his way to the front of the dwelling, Evan wished for the first time that he'd taken the time to check out her file, preferably before he found himself personally interested in her. He could hardly go back and look at it now because that would just be abusing his position for personal gain. It was only circumstance that he hadn't read her file anyway – Prudence had actually been approved to come to Atlantis with the initial expedition but had been delayed and missed its departure. From what Doctor Weir had told Lorne, Prue was asked to stay back and finish another project before leaving for the Pegasus galaxy once communication had been re-established, which was why he'd ended up in the city months before she had.

"Greetings to you Evan," Teneo's voice broke Lorne out of his reverie.

"Good morning," he replied, moving to sit on the porch step beside the old man. Looking down the dusty street at the early morning signs of life in the settlement Lorne smiled. "Looks like it'll be a nice day."

"Yes," Teneo agreed. "Perfect for a walk in the woods."

"I'll be sending Coughlin and Reed back to the Stargate," Evan announced. "We need to update our people ... our leader, Doctor Weir, tends to worry when anyone misses a scheduled check in."

"Understandably so," the old man sighed. "There are too many dangers and too few who have the resources to counter them."

"You didn't miss it – the fight, the challenge – when you left it to take care of Kara?" Lorne asked curiously.

"No," Teneo said simply. "I won't mislead you though ... it was difficult to see others leave to fight and not return, knowing that I had put mine and Kara's lives ahead of making the contribution those others were making. Changing my thinking for Kara was a challenge, one I never regretted answering."

"She's a bright girl," Evan offered. "I can't make any promises but just from observing her learning with Doctor Darnell last night I think she'll do well with us."

"You will do your best," Teneo said with conviction. "We have not known each other for long Major Lorne, but I am certain that you are a good man."

Lorne didn't know what to say to that so he said nothing for a few moments before speaking again. "When I know Doctor Weir's decision I'll come back and let you know."

"Thank you Evan," Teneo rested his hand on Evan's shoulder and Lorne could feel the way he trembled slightly.

"I might not have responsibilities like you have with Kara but I understand the need to look after your family," Lorne said once the other man had returned to his contemplation of the settlement around them. "I have a sister I'd move heaven and earth for if I had to. Lucky for me she has a husband to do that for her."

"They wrap themselves around your heart until you have no choice but to love them unconditionally," Teneo murmured.

The two men fell to an easy silence after that, letting the gradual arrival of full daylight carry on around them. After some time Teneo stirred himself and glanced at his companion. "You did not sleep well," he announced.

"Ah ... no, but not because of the accommodations or anything," Lorne hurried to add. "Habit I guess ... not relaxing too much in unfamiliar surrounds."

"Leadership carries responsibility," Teneo agreed. "And in the presence of a woman as appealing as Doctor Darnell I believe, were I younger, I'd have difficulty sleeping easily as well."

"She's ah ... we're ...," Lorne shook his head, jaw clenched. He wanted to say they were 'just friends' but were they? Just, or at all - he felt dishonest using the 'friends' label to put the other man off, and to call Prue a colleague would be an insult to both their intelligences. "The hell if I know what we are," he admited with a harsh chuckle.

"Possibility is often disguised as a problem requiring a difficult solution," Teneo smiled when Lorne shook his head again. "You don't survive years of fighting the Wraith without having keen observational skills Major. You have a personal interest in Doctor Darnell." Before Lorne could say anything Teneo held up a hand. "Forgive me for being a nosey old man – my granddaughter tells me off daily for asking too many questions. It amuses me greatly to remind her that at my age I cannot spare the time to wait for someone to volunteer the information."

"I bet that doesn't go down too well with her," Evan commented, amused.

"No, but she is too kind hearted to be harsh with me," Teneo replied. "I believe you also are too kind hearted to admonish me and so I will beg your indulgence for a moment more. Since my hope is that you will play some part in Kara's life I would urge you to see the possibilities alongside the problems Evan. Take it from me – time is fleeting and opportunities even more so. Some can disappear in an instance, leaving only a lifetime to count the cost."

"There's a story there too I think," Lorne deduced, focussing for the moment on what his companion was revealing about himself rather than why.

"There is," Teneo sighed. "I hesitated too long and Alyssa paid the ultimate price. Kara reminds me of her sometimes ... and perhaps I wouldn't have been so inspired to change if not for what I'd lost."

"I'm sorry," Evan murmured.

"No, I'm the one who is sorry Major," Teneo returned. "It wasn't my intention to lower your mood with my stories. I am sure it is old age that makes the past seem closer than it has in years."

"Don't worry about it," Lorne said, turning his head as footsteps sounds from the hallway behind them. When he saw who those feet were attached to, Evan jumped to his feet.

"Good morning Major," Prudence said briskly, turning to Teneo and repeating her greeting as the old man also stood.

"Doctor," Evan returned, pushing the conversation he'd had with Teneo from his mind. "Ready to go look for Ancient ruins?"

"Very much so," Prue agreed, a genuine smile softening the lines of her face. "How soon can we leave?"

"You don't wish to eat beforehand?" Teneo asked.

"I -," Prue began.

"Grab something now Doctor," Lorne broke in, his 'that's an order' unspoken but there nonetheless. "I'll rouse Reed and Coughlin so they can head back to the gate and check-in." Turning to Teneo, Evan softened his approach. "If you could instruct Kara on showing us the way we can make sure we don't take up too much of her day."

"Of course Evan," Teneo agreed. "I'll see to that now."

Lorne nodded, watching the older man walk unhurriedly back inside before directing his attention back to Prue. "I'll just - ,"

"Nate and Dan are already on their way down," Prue interrupted him.

"Oh ... right," Lorne nodded, glancing at her before looking away, wishing like hell that Teneo hadn't brought up his 'relationship' with the good Doctor Darnell because thinking about what the other man had said was making him feel more than a little awkward again.

"Did you sleep well Major?" Doctor Darnell asked.

"Not particularly," Evan replied honestly. "You?"

"Unfamiliar surrounds sometimes trouble me as well," Prue offered, "but this time I was able to get sufficient sleep."

"It wasn't the unfamiliar surrounds keeping me awake Doctor," Lorne waited until she looked at him. "_Yeah, you know what I'm talking about,"_ he thought.

She was saved from having to respond by the arrival of Coughlin and Reed, already geared up and ready to head back to the gate.

"Tell Doctor Weir we should be able to wrap this up today," Lorne instructed. "Then hold position at the gate. I'll radio progress updates, depending on what we find at the ruins."

"Yes Sir," Coughlin replied. "Be careful Sir," he added.

"We'll be fine Sergeant," Lorne insisted confidently.

Nodding Coughlin motioned for Reed to precede him, the younger man throwing Lorne a grinning salute before the two men strode off down the road, disappearing from sight.

"So ... it's just us now Doctor," Lorne announced.

"Us and Kara," Prudence reminded him.

"Right," Lorne grinned. "Okay. You – eat," he said, shifting around her and heading for the door.

"What about you Major?" Prue demanded.

"I need to grab my gear," Evan reminded her. "But it's sweet that you're worried about me."

Her frustrated growl and yeah, there it was, a little stomp of the foot, accompanied him up the stairs.

* * *

The trek through the trees to the ruins was as pleasant as the early morning had suggested it would be. It wasn't as hot as it had been walking to the settlement the previous afternoon and a light breeze shifted the leaves above their heads, creating an ever changing pattern of shadows on the forest floor.

Kara and Doctor Darnell carried on an animated conversation as they walked, covering everything from the Ancient language all the way through to basic computer operation. Kara was a quick study, even without a background in anything earth related, and would make a good test case if they ever did want to take a more active view on forming alliances within the Pegasus galaxy.

With only 'guard' duty to perform – hardly taxing given there appeared to be nothing to threaten the peace of the trees but a few noisy birds – and no requirement to participate in the conversation, the walk left Lorne too free to dwell on his own thoughts. He'd always prided himself on being in control ... on taking control when the need was there. Even in situations where it wasn't possible to be calling the shots Lorne still took as much of a hand as he could in controlling the impact. It was a part of who he was. Even with Prudence (he wasn't sure when exactly he'd stopped calling her Doctor Darnell in his head – probably _not_ a good thing) he felt compelled to redirect when it felt like he was headed somewhere he didn't want to go. She'd do something that would show him a different side and he'd react in kind and it would all feel just a little too ... chummy, hence him countering at the first opportunity with a comment he knew would irritate her. It was as though he _had_ to keep reminding her that the two of them really had nothing in common.

"The ruins are just up ahead," Kara announced, drawing Lorne back into the present.

Moving forward he took point, rounding a bend in the path that abruptly opened into a small clearing. The trees had found their way inside and shorter versions of the tall specimens around them were growing in places, overrunning what the Ancients had created so long ago.

"Oh," Doctor Darnell rushed forward, dropping down beside another of those small signs like the one they'd found the previous day.

"What does it say?" Lorne asked, moving to stand beside her.

"Sanctus locus eruditio," Prue murmured, getting to her feet. "It's announcing this as a place of learning."

"A pity they didn't learn how to make it a little more impervious to the elements," Lorne muttered under his breath, following Prue as she began picking her way through the ruins.

From what he could tell the site had been hit by the Wraith, probably a cruiser from space, a long time ago and then left to become a collection of Ancient building material overgrown by nature. He was pretty sure there was nothing there of value but he knew there was no way Doctor Darnell was going to concede that quickly.

"Kara, you might as well head back," he told the young girl. "It's gonna take a while for Doctor Darnell to look at everything."

"Of course, thank you Major," Kara looked momentarily disappointed and Lorne grinned.

"Trust me," he said. "This isn't the part of the learning experience you want to get involved with straight up. Plenty of time later to discover that research sometimes involves looking at a whole lot of nothing for a really long time."

"I heard that Major," Prue said, even though she appeared to be fully engaged in taking pictures. "The Major is right though Kara. You should go home – I promise to give you an overview of anything interesting I find when we return."

"Very well," Kara smiled again. "You'll be able to find your way back?"

"That's the kind of thing they teach guys like me," Evan said easily. "Thanks for showing us the way."

"You're welcome Major, Prudence," Kara nodded to each of them before leaving them alone in the clearing.

"Anything I can do Doc?" Evan asked after watching her document the entire site with her digital camera first.

"Can you take impressions?" Prue asked, holding up a role of the same waxy paper she'd used to make a marking of the sign the previous day.

"I have some experience with crayons so sure, I can do that," Lorne quipped, amused. He could have offered to sketch the ruins for her but since she'd decided he was barely capable of welding a crayon effectively he wasn't feeling exactly charitable. Besides, using those skills would reveal more of himself than he wanted Prue seeing.

"And what experience would that be exactly?" Prue queried, handing him some paper and a large black crayon.

"My oldest nephew likes to colour," Evan said with a shrug. "I usually have to claim the black crayon before he can use it to obliterate every picture in his book." Heading for the nearest stone with any kind of marking on it, Lorne tilted his head assessingly, deciding it must have been part of the exterior wall. "Tell me something Doctor. Why did the Ancient feel it necessary to carve out stuff all over everything? It's kinda childish don't you think? Like a bunch of kids drawing on the walls."

"That's a relatively simplistic question for something that's actually quite complex," Prue replied, stopping to watch him create a crayon rubbing of the wall section. Satisfied that he was doing it right she moved her own work to the next segment she wanted to document.

"How so?" Lorne persisted.

"The Ancients had more than one purpose when determining how to augment their structures Major," Prudence explained. "Some was designed to instruct or inspire exploration – such as the carvings here. Some was purely for decoration."

"And sometimes they were warning people off," Lorne finished. Putting aside his completed sheet he ripped off another piece of wax paper and placed it where the first had left off. "Although clearly the Wraith weren't included in that."

"You think the Wraith were responsible for the destruction here?"

"Yeah, from the way these slabs have been broken apart I'd say Wraith cruiser at the very least," Lorne replied. "One thing I do know is that there won't be any doors for me to open here – ATA gene required or otherwise."

"No," Prudence agreed sadly. Arching a brow at Lorne she added "but there are many more planets I wish to visit Major. I've only just begun my investigations into the Ancient database."

"Well that's a relief Doc," Lorne quipped sarcastically. "You had me worried that this would be my last foray into on-duty colouring."

"You seem to be a natural Major so perhaps there's some hope for you after all," Prue returned, a smile playing over her face.

"Major Lorne," Evan's radio crackled to life.

"Go ahead Sergeant."

"We reported in to Atlantis as ordered Sir," Coughlin replied, his voice ebbing in an out a little with static, due to the distance between Lorne and the Stargate. The two men had made good time back to the gate, covering the distance in three instead of the four hours they'd taken on the way in. "They've got a bit of a situation going on back there Sir."

"What sort of situation?" Lorne queried, straightening abruptly.

"Doctor McKay is trapped in a Puddle Jumper at the bottom of the ocean Sir," Coughlin reported. "Colonel Sheppard and Doctor Zelenka have gone to rescue him."

"Does Doctor Weir want us back there?"

"She said there was no need Sir," Nate replied. "Doctor Weir indicated that by the time you and Doctor Darnell could get to the gate the emergency will have passed. They want you back there as soon as it's feasible."

"Okay, dial them back and let them know we're on our way. Give them an ETA of around five hours," Lorne decided, getting an acknowledgement from Coughlin before closing off the channel. "Time's up Doctor," he announced.

"I can remain here if you need to return to Atlantis Major," Prue offered, continuing with her work.

"No you can't," Lorne countered firmly, walking over to her. "We don't leave people off world alone Doctor, so pack it up."

"There are still several hours of work to document this site Major," Prue protested. "Are you suggesting we aren't as safe as all evidence suggests we are?"

"There's no such thing as one hundred percent safe Doctor," Lorne said grimly. "Since this is your first mission in Pegasus I'm willing to cut you a little slack but let's get one thing straight. You come off world with my team, you follow my orders – there's no debating or negotiation Doctor."

"That doesn't leave any room for me to inform you of things you might not realise are important!" Prue retorted stubbornly.

"Is there anything here that will help your translation program?" Evan asked patiently.

"No, but this is still an important -," Prudence admitted reluctantly, rushing to explain further.

"So we'll send another team to record that importance," Lorne broke in impatiently. "Correct me if I'm wrong Doctor but it's not your job to do that, so unless there's something here that _does_ directly relate to why we came in the first place, our mission is done."

Prue's face was an open book at that point – Evan could see her waring with herself, wanting to protest further but smart enough to realise it would impact on her inclusion in later missions. Then she abruptly relaxed, giving him a wordless nod before gathering up her gear.

They walked back to the settlement in silence, neither willing to give any ground. Lorne didn't necessarily want an apology – an acknowledgement that the chain of command was important and applied to everyone would do just fine. Teneo and Kara greeted them when they got there, Lorne quickly explaining their departure and promising they'd at the very least send another team to finish what Prue had started.

"It has been a pleasure to host you and your team in our home Major," Teneo said formally. "We wish you well in all your endeavours."

"Thank you for your hospitality Teneo," Lorne replied. "I'll send word on that other matter we discussed ... but don't be planning on needing it any time soon."

"At my age you stop planning and just act Major," Teneo returned, chuckling when Evan cast him a pained look, carefully keeping his eyes from Prue's.

"Okay, Doctor?" Lorne raised a brow, silently asking if she was done with her own farewells. Prue responded by hugging Kara and Teneo quickly and then walking down the steps, passing Evan with her head held high and continuing down the street without him. She'd formed a bond with the two quickly, something that surprised Lorne given her generally serious - prickly with him - nature.

"Problems Evan?" Teneo asked curiously.

"Ah, not exactly," Lorne replied. "Doctor Darnell wanted to stay but it's not our usual practice to leave anyone behind."

"I see," the old man smiled. "She is very ... passionate about the things she sees value in."

"That's one way to describe it," Lorne said a little evasively. "Thanks again for welcoming us Teneo - we'll be in touch." Spinning on one heel he took off after Prudence, cursing Teneo for coupling in his mind the fiery side of Prue with thoughts that had nothing to do with her being stubborn and opinionated. He could imagine too easily Prue directing that passion at him when it wasn't about digging her heels in over something she saw as vitally important.

Catching up with Prue, Lorne sent her a pointed look. "We keep the team together unless ordered otherwise Doctor."

"I wasn't aware of that rule Major," Prue retorted, "but I'll keep it in mind next time you're being a jerk."

"You do that," Lorne muttered, picking up the pace just enough to stretch her stride to the limit. It was petty and counterproductive when her breathing picked up and he had to listen to her panting as she hurried to walk beside him. Their silence and the way Prue was clearly avoiding looking at Evan drew some curious looks from Coughlin and Reed but Lorne's narrowed glance warned them not to comment on it.

Back on Atlantis Lorne was quickly drawn into a briefing on what had happened with the newly rescued Doctor McKay. By the time that was done and he'd briefed Doctor Weir on the findings from his mission and the need for another team to finish documenting the ruins, Prue had long departed. And while Evan briefly contemplated tracking her down for that talk, he went with putting it off for the time being. He was smart enough to know you didn't approach a woman with a 'we need to talk' proposition when she was already pissed at you.

Instead he found himself digging through his things for the sketch pad he'd brought with him and never used. Atlantis was full of artistic inspiration but short on time and he'd never felt compelled to challenge that, to make a place for art. Something about M4R-322. something about Teneo and Kara and the conversations he'd had with Prudence, had sparked that compulsion. With pencils and sketch book in hand Lorne set out for the nearest secluded balcony. Sitting for a time absorbing the view he eventually took a deep cleansing breath, picked up a pencil, and began to draw.

**Authors Note:**

Apologies for the delay in posting ... this chapter just didn't come out how I envisaged initially. I'm still not overjoyed with it but didn't want to delay posting any longer. The rest of the delay was my baby's birthday - FOUR already! - where does the time go? *grins* Had no trouble connecting with my inner child though ... the line in this chapter about the use of black crayons came direct from my children - I never understood the allure of colouring everything in black but they all did it, so there you go!

One last point - I contemplated spliting this chapter because it's so long but couldn't decide on a logical place to do that. If people would prefer shorter chapters posted more often then please let me know. Thanks.


	17. The Long Hello

**Chapter 17: The Long Hello**

Lorne picked himself up off the floor, hand clutching his neck where Doctor Weir had struck him. His breath still came in laboured intakes, his throat feeling constricted. "Where the hell did she learn how to do that?" he ground out rhetorically, holding a hand down for Coughlin.

"I guess this Phebus knows a thing or two about hand to hand combat Sir," Nate commented once back on his feet, touching the back of his head with a wince. While he moved to assist their other two downed team mates, Evan activated his radio to report in.

"Lorne to the Control room."

"Go ahead Major," Colonel Caldwell replied. It hadn't sat well when the Daedalus commander had first ordered them to subdue and restrain Colonel Sheppard and Doctor Weir – now, having Caldwell in charge instead of Weir or Sheppard just felt ... _wrong_.

"We failed to apprehend Doctor Weir," Evan reported, his voice sounding a little raspy. "Whoever's in control has much better than average combat skills. I'd advise caution in approaching her Sir." He shared a rueful look with Coughlin before he finished it. "She took down my entire team Colonel – in about five seconds and without breaking a sweat."

"Well, now that you've taken away her element of surprise the rest of our teams might fare better," Caldwell replied briskly. "All non essential personnel have been confined to quarters Major. We have three lone, unexplained signals - near the armoury, over on the south west pier, and in the science labs. Take the south west pier Major - Ms Emmagen and Ronon have the other two positions covered."

"Yes Sir," Lorne did a quick check of his men to make sure they were all up to it, getting determined looks in return. They were ready. "We're on it Sir," he confirmed before closing off the signal.

The previous week had been very busy in the city ... for once Colonel Sheppard's team had found something off world that was unexpected in a _good_ way. Another 'Atlantis' – some of it damaged and some buried so that only the central tower remained visible. Unlike their version of the city this one had a fully stocked armoury – drones and jumpers – and a newly depleted ZPM, helped into that state by Rodney McKay. After negotiating an exchange of assistance from Atlantis the people had agreed to hand the ancient technology over.

It was a boon that lifted spirits in the city even as it resulted in a record number of trips through the gate in one day for Lorne and his team. It had been a good kind of busy – making the trek on foot from the gate, picking up a new jumper with a back section fully loaded with drones, and flying it back to Atlantis. The work of cataloguing and supervising the installation of the new weapons into their drone control room was satisfying on a number of levels, although Lorne sincerely hoped they wouldn't need to use their new arsenal any time soon.

He'd been busy enough that he genuinely hadn't had a chance to catch up with Prudence since they'd returned from M4R-322. She hadn't sought him out for that chat either, which didn't surprise him ... what _was_ unusual was that she hadn't submitted her usual spate of requests, given the Daedalus was due in. If he'd known that all he had to do for a reprieve from her questionning his procedures was threaten her with a 'private' conversation, he'd have done it the week she arrived in the city!

Lorne and his team checked corridors as they made their way to one of the outermost piers, Evan still shaking his head in dismay over the turn of events. He'd actually brought one of the aliens back to the city himself! Sure, Ronon and Teyla had been along for the ride and Colonel Sheppard had approved the retrieval, but even with that Evan still felt responsible. He'd thought from the start that it was a bad idea giving anyone, even a purportedly friendly alien, the ability to control one of them ... that it was a scenario that just screamed disaster. Now the aliens had turned out to be the opposite of friendly all he could think was that they really should have known better. But what was done was done, and now they just had to deal with the consequences. And a day wasn't long compared to some of the crises they'd faced in the past.

Then the lights abruptly went off, leaving them in total darkness and Evan had to chuckle. A day _wasn't _long but a lot of damage had been done in less time. Switching on the light on his P-90 and shining it down the corridor, Lorne glanced over at Coughlin. "Drop back with Cheung and cover our six."

Nodding, Nate motioned for Cheung to join him, the two slowing so that a substantial gap opened between the teammates. That way, if someone jumped out at them it wouldn't be possible to take out the whole team in one strike.

"Lorne to the Control Room."

"Caldwell here."

"We're down here in the pitch black Sir," Evan began. "Anything we should know?"

"One of our alien visitors took out the power room – including backup systems Major," Caldwell replied, clearly annoyed. "Doctor McKay is fixing it, but for now proceed with extreme caution."

"Acknowledged Sir, Lorne out."

They continued walking forward. Reed had the hand held scanner out so they knew their target was still at the same location. Holding out a hand Lorne silently requested the ancient device, the screen lighting brighter as soon as he touched it. Through narrowed eyes Evan assessed the display. Working out roughly where someone was located wasn't difficult with the big dot blipping 'I'm here' at you – except Atlantis had multiple levels and the display wasn't great for determining which one the blip was on. That required an extra ... edge. Focussing for a moment, Lorne quickly decided they had to go up a level.

"This is kind of strange Sir," Reed commented in a low tone as they walked silently up the stairs.

"What's that?" Lorne looked up from the scanner to his young team mate, the other man's face just illuminated by the reflected light from both their torches.

"Walking around in the dark Sir," Reed explained. "I think I've been too spoiled having everything switching off and on just because we're there."

"That _is _one side of the ATA gene I don't mind having," Lorne agreed with a grin. Looking down at the screen again he held up a hand, gesturing to the next opening. "Coughlin, get ready," he ordered via radio, his voice low and businesslike.

Holding up three fingers for Reed, Lorne turned that into two and then one in a silent countdown to action. On zero they rushed through the doorway, Lorne first, Reed right behind him, guns raised.

The feminine gasping, almost scream that greeted them had Evan cursing even as he lowered his P-90.

"This is a restricted area," he said forcefully. "What the hell are you doing down here?"

"Research, Major," Prudence Darnell said, her face pale.

"_Without_ permission Doctor," Lorne shot back grimly. "I could have shot you!"

"I hardly think so," Prue's eyes moved to where Dan was standing behind Lorne, his expression neutral. "Unless you're in the habit of shooting first and asking questions later?"

"We've got a situation going on right now and no one knows you're down here, do they?" he demanded. When she looked guilty Lorne just shook his head, turning away before he said something he regretted. Tapping his ear piece he moved to the doorway, looking out into the corridor as Coughlin and Cheung shifted forward to make their presence known. "Lorne to Control Room."

"Caldwell here."

"We've checked out the south west pier Sir," Lorne reported. "Doctor Weir and Colonel Sheppard aren't here."

"We're still registering another life sign at your position Major," Caldwell replied.

"Yes Sir," Lorne agreed. "One of the scientists is down here doing a little ... independent research Colonel."

"I trust they've been suitably reprimanded Major," Caldwell's tone was part impatience, part disgust.

"They will be Sir," Lorne promised, turning back and looking directly at Prue.

"Very well," Caldwell acknowledged. "Doctor McKay is still working to get power restored. We've just had a report from Ms Emmagen that Doctor Weir is at the base of the central tower. She could probably do with some back up."

"On our way Sir," Lorne returned, closing off the channel.

"We'll talk about this later," he told Prudence. "For now you'll come with us until I can find a safe place to put you. And you'll do _exactly_ what I say Doctor, no arguments."

Prue nodded wordlessly, quickly gathering her laptop and books and stuffing them into her back pack. Lorne gestured for his team to follow him, Coughlin moving to flank Doctor Darnell on Evan's signal. Lorne might be frustrated with her but there was no way he wanted her to get hurt – even though part of him thought Prue could do with an object lesson, for her own safety.

They made quick time, Prue keeping up without complaint. When the lights came on abruptly they were all disorientated for a few seconds until their eyes adjusted.

"Keep moving," Lorne urged, switching off his torch and picking up the pace again.

They were still a fair way from the centre of the city when the doors in front of them slammed closed, bringing their forward motion to an abrupt stop. Evan swiped a hand over the controls but nothing happened.

"What's wrong?" Coughlin moved forward, Prue shifting to look around his arm.

"Door's locked," Evan said simply. "We'll go back the way we came, try another route."

They retraced their steps down the corridor to the nearest staircase but again, the door that would let them into it was closed in front of them. Evan tried to open it without success. "Lorne to the Control Room," he said briskly.

"Go ahead Major," Chuck's voice greeted him this time.

"Have the doors leading into the central tower been locked down for some reason?" Lorne queried.

"Not exactly Sir," Chuck replied. "Doctor Weir has engaged a city wide lock down – we've got teams stuck all over the city. We were about to contact you to let you know the situation."

"How long to fix the problem?"

"Doctor Weir put a pass code on the system Sir," the gate technician reported. "Doctor McKay's trying to break it now but it could be a while."

"Right," Lorne grimaced, eyes tracking up and down the long corridor they were now trapped in for the foreseeable future. "Okay, let me know when the situation changes."

"Yes Sir," Chuck said briskly.

Closing off the channel, Lorne looked at his team. "Might as well get comfortable – looks like we're gonna be here for a while."

"Problems Sir?" Coughlin asked.

"The situation's escalated," Evan confirmed. "Doctor Weir's locked down the whole city. If McKay can't break her code we might have to wait until these aliens leave naturally."

"That could be hours," Nate glanced at Prue before looking back at his CO, his concern obvious.

"Doctor Beckett thought the imprint wouldn't last more than a day ... work out a strategy for the essentials, assuming that estimate as the worst case," Lorne ordered, both men having military practicality in mind. Nate nodded, motioning for Cheung to go with him to check all the rooms between the two doors they were trapped between. When they returned Evan was sure his second would have a plan that included sleeping arrangements and 'facilities' in case they were trapped for a number of hours.

"Reed, stay with Doctor Darnell," Evan ordered.

"Where are _you _going?" Prue asked hurriedly, looking like she wanted to go with him.

"To double check the doors," Lorne didn't give her a chance to protest, turning on a heel and heading off down the corridor.

Once there Evan quickly laid a hand on the control pad and actively tried to tap into what he thought of as his awareness of Atlantis. After so many months in the city he no longer paid attention to the hum Atlantis made in his head – it was just another background noise like the sounds of the city shifting continuously as it floated on the ocean. As soon as he tried to take notice he knew immediately – the city wasn't happy. Not in an emotional sense, not in a sentient sense. In the 'all systems are functioning as normal' sense. For the first time the static was disjointed - the opposite of harmonious. For the first time he could actually discern the differences in the tones made by the individual systems. If it were possible to take one overall 'health' reading for Atlantis, Lorne was sure the result would be firmly in the red.

Glancing back down the corridor to make sure again that he was far enough away from the others not to have an audience, Evan steeled himself, leaning against the wall as he closed his eyes and tried to dig deeper.

It was the lockdown of course ... closing off sections of the city, stopping systems from talking to each other. It was a necessary defensive capability but not one that sat well with the natural flow of the city's design.

"_Can I get around the lockdown – open this door?_" Lorne thought clearly, trusting whatever it was about the gene and the city's design that allowed them to operate things through mental interfacing.

The tone of the humming in his head shifted low, the volume dropping.

"Yeah, I didn't think so," Evan muttered. Once again it wasn't down to him – he'd have to wait for someone else to find a solution. Not his favourite place to be but at the same time Lorne had trust in the people he worked with to find that solution. "_Don't worry – McKay will fix this soon_," he thought, reassuring himself as much as he was trying to encourage the systems to continue running independent of the usual cooperation between them. Not being able to help was one thing. Being stuck in a corridor for hours was something else again.

Taking his hand off the console Lorne turned, stopping abruptly when he saw Prue standing only a few steps away, her posture indicating she'd been there a while.

"I told you to stay with Reed," Evan said impatiently, striding forward with the intention of walking around her.

"_No_, you told Airman Reed to stay with _me_," Prue countered, nodding to where the young man stood a few feet away, looking uncomfortable.

"Don't play semantics with me Doctor," Lorne retorted, still intent on leaving her there, with whatever observations she seemed intent on making left unsaid.

"Just tell me - what were you doing before?" Prue had the audacity to grab his arm when he tried to pass her, the electricity rising between them enough to stop his feet.

Lorne shot her a heated look as he pulled his arm away, directing his attention to Reed. "Go back and help Coughlin and Cheung," he ordered his team mate.

"Yes Sir," Reed glanced at Prue and then back to his CO before swiftly turning and striding up the corridor. Lorne waited until he was out of earshot before rounding on Prudence.

"You really don't get it, do you Doctor?" he said grimly.

"Get what?" Prue asked, holding her ground as Evan strode forward until they were toe to toe.

"What do you think would have happened if it had been our alien visitors who'd found you down here working alone?" Lorne demanded. "Because I don't think they'd have said hello and left you to your business! Now I know you're not stupid so I can only conclude that you think the rules don't apply to you."

"I just wanted to look at one little thing," Prue said defensively. "It wouldn't have taken long and I didn't think there'd be any harm in coming down here."

"And it was so important you couldn't wait to observe the proper procedure?" Lorne shot back. "Were you not paying attention the past few months Doctor, or during the time you spent working at the SGC? Because clearly you haven't noticed that things have a way of happening around here! If you don't follow the rules and one of those things happens to you, we won't be able to help you. You could be gone, just like _that_," Evan snapped his fingers an inch from her face, startling her.

"I wasn't – it was just - ," Prue broke off, her eyes shimmering with tears in the face of his uncharacteristic anger. "You're right," she admitted, looking away. "Sometimes I get so caught up in solving the mystery I forget to pay attention to what's going on around me. I'm sorry Major."

"Yeah, well you should be," Lorne retorted. Part of him wanted to hold on to the satisfaction of being in the right, of harnessing his anger to deliver the message she needed to hear, but in the face of her obviously genuine remorse he had to let it go. "I'll have to file an incident report," he said with a sigh, stepping back to give her a little space. "Colonel Caldwell will expect it and he's the kind of guy who'll check. It's end up on your record."

"Don't worry about it Major. I deserve the formal reprimand," Prudence looked up at him earnestly. "You won't let this influence any future requests I might make for access within the city, will you?"

"No," Lorne replied, pinning her with an intent look. "Just do me a favour Doc – ask me first next time. If you've got a good reason and you give me the chance to send a proper escort with you, you'll get to do your research."

"Thank you Major Lorne," Prue smiled softly.

"Okay, let's get back to the others," Lorne said decisively, moving to step around her again.

"Not yet!" Prue grabbed his arm again, her grip firm. "I just ... I wanted to ask you about what you were doing with the door Major."

"Nothing," Lorne said dismissively, looking down at her with a blank expression.

"It didn't look like nothing," Prue insisted, holding her ground.

"You want to talk about things that aren't nothing?" Evan deliberately crowded her, taking perverse pleasure in the way she swallowed nervously, retreating a few steps until her back was pressed against the wall. "Because I'm more than ready to have that little chat Prudence."

"You'll tell me what you were doing?" her eyes narrowed as she considered him, looking for some kind of catch in his expression.

Lorne frowned, gaze sharpening. "You want to know _that_ badly?" he asked in surprise.

"I - ," Prue looked at him uncertainly. "Maybe you're right Major Lorne ... maybe this isn't the time."

"Don't back down now _Doctor_," Evan deliberately accentuated her title, a not so subtle dig at her using his rank and name to put a perceived barrier between them. "We're likely stuck down here for hours yet. What else is there to do but talk?"

Prudence looked up at him for a few moments, the two of them captured in the growing silence between them. "Very well Major," she eventually agreed.

"First up, _Prudence_, you're gonna have to drop the 'Major'," Lorne said insistently. "Go on, try it out," he urged when she remained silent. "Say my name ... _E-van _... say it."

"Evan," she repeated dutifully. She didn't put any kind of inflection on it but Lorne still felt the satisfaction of hearing her say it.

"That wasn't so hard was it?" Evan grinned when she glared up at him. "This is going great so far."

"You're being an ass again Evan," Prue said primly, but a spark of amusement lit her eyes. "And for the record, I prefer Prue, not Prudence, if you're insisting on first names."

"Duly noted ... _Prue_," Lorne did put an inflection on _his _enunciation, drawing her name out like a delicacy he'd never tasted before and found he really liked.

"So tell me, what was that little routine you did at the door all about?" Prue asked. She was still leaning back against the wall and Lorne was still standing just a little too close, the heat shimmering between them almost palpable.

"Uh uh," Lorne held up a hand in a classic 'stop' signal. "This is one of those times where it's not gonna be ladies first." His movements controlled and deliberate, Evan ran a finger softly down her cheek, both of them feeling the spark trailing his caress. "You ever get that kind of feedback from anyone else Prue?" he asked in a low tone, his eyes locked to hers.

"Not for a really, _really_ long time," Prue admitted, "and not like ... not like this."

"I'm attracted to you," Evan said it bluntly. "I don't want to be, but I am."

Prue tensed, her expression shifting to nervousness. "This can't happen Evan," she protested, shaking her head. "I can't ... I'm not in a position to form any kind of personal relationship with anyone. I just ... I can't."

"Why not?" Lorne demanded, forgetting in the face of her denial that he wasn't looking for a relationship either.

"There are things I need to do here," Prue explained. "I can't let myself get distracted." Her words were a dismissal, but she did nothing to move away, even though he wasn't holding her there in a physical way.

"You can ignore this?" Evan cupped her cheek gently, leaning down until his lips hovered over hers, until she felt the warmth of his breath caressing her. "Stop me," he murmured.

"I -," Prue instinctively leaned into his palm, never breaking his gaze.

The moment was frozen in time ... as he looked deep into her eyes, cataloguing the varying shades of brown in her irises and watching the emotions rising. Longing. Desire. Fear. Despair. Determination.

With a groan it was Prue who broke the stalemate, her hands rising to his hair as she pulled his mouth down to hers. The kiss rocked him to the core, wiping out the memory of every other kiss he'd ever engaged in, clichéd as that sounded. He'd meant to challenge her but ended up being challenged himself. She was fire ... pure energy ... and she made him feel lighter and at the same time more connected to life than he ever had before.

Kissing Prue was captivating and tense. It scared the hell out of him, but he wanted more.

Wrapping his arms around her, Evan pulled her into his embrace, turning them both until it was he who rested against the wall, her weight pressing him there. Everything else became background ... the fact that he was still on duty, the awareness of his team at the other end of the corridor, the hum of the city heightened along with all his other senses. He didn't consider for a second that an impulse he hadn't meant to be a serious gesture had gotten _way_ out of control.

"Caldwell to Lorne."

The radio in his ear was a rude awakening. Tearing his lips away from Prue, breath coming in harsh pants, Lorne stared down at his partner in crime, both of them speechless.

"Caldwell to Lorne. Please respond."

The colonel's tone was more insistent now. Prue tried to step away from Evan and for a moment his arms wanted to keep hold of her. They looked at each other again before he reluctantly let her go, turning away and tapping his ear piece. "Lorne here. Go ahead Sir."

"Is everything okay there Major?" Caldwell asked.

"Yes sir," Lorne said blandly, determined not to mention the delay in responding unless he was asked to explain it.

There was a moment's pause and then Caldwell spoke again. "I wanted to give you a progress update Major. Doctor McKay is still some time away from resolving the lockdown. In the meantime Doctor Weir's ... _Phebus _has rerouted the fire suppression system and is threatening to release halon gas into crew quarters. She wants Colonel Sheppard – Teyla already has him restrained but we're stalling until Doctor McKay can hack the code."

"That's not the update I was hoping for Sir," Lorne said grimly, feeling the tension rising inside for a different reason. Sheppard seemed to have a knack for getting himself into life threatening trouble - and here they were again, the Colonel with a gun trained on him. "I wish there was something I could do to help."

"Stand by Major," Caldwell said briskly. "As soon as we've got the system up again your team can proceed to Teyla's position."

"We'll be ready for your signal Sir," Lorne acknowledged, waiting until the other man had closed the channel before turning back to Prue. "They're still trying to open the doors," he offered that explanation in a casual tone, even though he felt anything but casual.

"You tried to override the lockdown, didn't you?" Prue's brows arched as she worked out part of it for herself. They were keeping their distance now – the gap between them like a castle moat with sharp teethed predators just waiting for one of them to make a misstep.

"I came across something a while back that suggested with practice there was more we could do with the ATA gene," Evan explained, deciding he owed her as much honesty as he was comfortable with.

"You've been practising?"

"Ah ... not exactly," he admitted, shrugging. "Given the current situation I couldn't see the harm in trying something I wouldn't normally try. Clearly I _do_ need that practice."

"I can see that," Prue agreed with a smile. Her expression turned thoughtful as she considered what he'd told her. "Was there anything more about increasing proficiency with the gene?"

"I never followed it up," Evan laughed when he caught her disapproving expression. "Hey – I'm a busy guy. Unlike you I don't get to just follow any whim that strikes my fancy."

"Maybe I could look into it for you?" Prue offered uncertainly.

Lorne should have seen that one coming. She was a scientist after all ... but since it was something he really should have followed up, in some respects her offer let him off the hook. "Sure, okay," he agreed.

They fell silent again, back to looking at each other. Finally Lorne sighed, breaking the silence. "You're thinking that kiss was a mistake, right?"

"Aren't you?" Prue countered.

"You got me hot enough to forget where I was," Evan admitted honestly, "so, no, regret isn't at the top of my list right now."

"Oh," Prue looked dumbfounded enough that Lorne laughed.

"You weren't expecting that, were you?"

"No, not really," she looked away, frowning. "I'm – I can't change my mind on this Evan. I _know_ – _I_ kissed you, and I can't ... I don't want to deny that I'm attracted to you too."

"That's big of you," Lorne returned with understandable sarcasm. "I'm not sure I wouldn't have preferred a little less honesty!"

"I'm really sorry Evan," Prue said miserably.

He'd upset her and wanted nothing more right then but to fix it – he just didn't know how. What he did know was that there was no point in pushing her. If he'd ever seen someone more determined to stick to their guns he couldn't recall them now.

"Don't worry about it," he focussed on reassuring her and getting them both on an even footing again. "I can't promise to forget that kiss Prue – but I won't mention it again unless you want me to, okay?"

"Ah," she frowned, clearly looking for some kind of trick in what he'd said. "Okay. Thank you ... Major."

"No problem, Doctor," Evan sighed, regretting the necessary return to their earlier formality. Gesturing for her to precede him, he urged her to walk down the corridor with him. "Maybe someday you could tell me about that other time Doc," he suggested in a low tone, referring to what she'd said about feeling a similar spark to the one they shared between them.

"Maybe," she agreed after a moment's pause.

Back with the rest of his team Lorne endured the curious looks from Cheung and Reed and the knowing ones from his second, all without offering any kind of explanation for why he'd taken so long to deliver his 'reprimand' to Prue. As soon as the lockdown was lifted they were on the way to the central tower, Lorne dropping Prue off at her lab when they passed it, after ordering her to stay there until he said otherwise.

It annoyed him that they arrived at the scene literally a second too late, just in time to see that Teyla had the situation well in hand. On top of his confusion over what had happened with Prue it put him in a grim faced mood. His team debriefed with Colonel Caldwell, one of the last functions the Daedalus commander would perform before returning leadership to Doctor Weir. One thing they could all agree on was that in future it wouldn't matter what circumstances were offered – there'd be no more free trust of unknown aliens, ever again.

Finally the longer than usual day was done and Lorne and his team were free to grab something to eat in the mess hall. "I'll see you down there," he told Coughlin. "I just need to do something else first."

"Of course Sir," Nate said knowingly.

"Can it Sergeant," Evan ordered, seeing exactly where the other man's thoughts had gone.

"Canning it Sir," Coughlin returned. "But with all due respect Major – if you wanted to invite Doctor Darnell to join us we'd all be cool with that."

"Good to know Sergeant," Lorne said evasively, throwing his 2IC a narrow eyed gaze before heading off. It didn't improve his mood that Nate had been right – he _was_ going back to Prue's lab.

When he got there and saw that she was distracted enough not to notice him, he stood in the doorway and just watched her. How had someone so small and ... aggressively neat and orderly gotten under his skin like she had? With her hair pulled back in that bun, not a single strand daring to defy the order she'd created, the minimum of makeup adding hints of colour to her features, she looked more like a stern and serious teacher than someone who'd travel a galaxy away in the pursuit of greater linguistic understanding.

He'd told Prue he didn't want to be attracted to her and it was true - he _didn't_ want the complications the kind of attraction he felt for Prue was likely to bring. And he hadn't changed his mind about other things either. He didn't want someone relying on him with no guarantee that he'd be there to live up to it. But ... given that he was 'lusting' after Prudence Darnell he _could_ admit to wanting nothing more right then than to mess up that neat facade of hers and see what she was made of underneath.

"Doctor," he finally alerted her to his presence expressionlessly.

"Major," Prue looked up, smiling uncertainly. "Was there ... did I forget to do something?"

"Ah, no," Evan moved into the room a little. "We just finished debriefing and I thought ... since you spent all that time with my team, you might want to join us for dinner ... if you're not doing anything else."

"That's very nice of you Major," Prue smiled. Closing her laptop decisively she rose and joined him. "I'd love to eat with your team."

"Great," Lorne stopped short of offering her his arm, the two of them walking to the nearest transporter with a space between them that felt unnatural to Evan. In the mess hall he moved quickly to the servery, waiting for Prue to make her choices before serving himself. Carrying their trays to where Coughlin and the others sat, Lorne motioned for Prue to have a seat before sitting down next to her.

"Any word on Colonel Sheppard and Doctor Weir?" Prue asked.

"Doctor Beckett said the Colonel is already free of Thalen," Lorne replied. "Phebus is still holding on but Carson thinks it'll only be a couple of hours now before she's gone."

"If I ever volunteer to let some badass alien take over my body, put me in the brig Sir," Reed joked, getting a laugh from everyone.

The conversation flowed freely after that, Prue asking questions that showed a genuine curiosity in the lives of his men and getting open replies in return. She got on well with all of them and that fact just illustrated the inherent problem Evan now faced. He had a serious attraction for a woman who'd admitted to being attracted to him too – one who intrigued him, who fit him in ways that surprised him. She made him think, she challenged him, she annoyed the hell out of him, she was mysterious and secretive and that bugged the hell out of him too. If he had any sense he'd run for the hills and never look back.

"Major?" Lorne looked up to see Prue watching him, a concerned look on her face.

"Sorry Doctor," he glanced at his team, all of whom were watching him. "I guess I spaced out there for a second. What were you saying?"

"Sergeant Coughlin said Phebus struck you," Prue explained. "I asked if you were okay?"

"I'd forgotten all about that," Lorne lifted his chin, putting a hand to his neck and wincing a little.

"That's a pretty impressive bruise Sir," Nate pointed out, everyone else able to see the large discolouration covering the base of Evan's neck.

"Yeah, Doctor Weir packs a lot of force when she'd angry – I'll have to remind Colonel Sheppard of that next time his team goes missing," Evan joked.

"Maybe you should get Doctor Beckett to check that you're okay," Prue suggested, still looking at him with concern.

"I'm fine Doctor," Lorne insisted. "Stop worrying."

She gave him a forced smile, looking ready to say more.

"He really is fine Ma'am," Nate said. "It might look bad to you but it's all relative. You should have seen him when we came back from M77-273."

"Bullet wound," Lorne told Prue casually, throwing Coughlin a pointed look. "Another one that looked worse than it was, _right _Sergeant?"

"Ah, yes Sir," Nate quickly agreed.

"And have the rest of you suffered similar injuries?" Prue asked curiously.

"Us?" Nate exchanged glances with Dan and Jimmy before turning back to Prue with what could only be described as a shit-eating grin. "Not a scratch on any of us Ma'am." It was true too – Elizabeth had bested all of them but Lorne was the only one wearing visible evidence of it.

"So it's just Major Lorne who's accident prone," Prue concluded, looking at Lorne with a hint of teasing challenge in her eyes.

"How do you know they're not all injury free because I threw myself into danger to protect them?" Lorne demanded, ignoring the protests from his men.

"Is that what happened Major?" Prue asked quietly, her eyes drawn to the vivid blacks and blues on his neck.

"No, but if you want to talk accident prone, check out Colonel Sheppard's record," Evan suggested with a smirk. "I look like a yellow bellied coward in comparison."

"I just might do that," Prue returned. Standing with her now empty tray in hand she smiled at each of his team mates before directing her attention back to Lorne. "If I want to return to that restricted lab I have some important paperwork to fill out," she announced, faintly teasing.

"Good idea Doctor," Evan said, straight faced.

He watched as she thanked Coughlin, Reed and Cheung for including her in their meal and then bid them all farewell; then continued watching as she hurried away, disappearing out the door.

"If you don't mind my saying so Sir, you should ask her out," Nate suggested in an undertone.

"Funny, I was just thinking exactly the opposite," Lorne retorted.

"You like her," Coughlin insisted.

"Maybe, but that doesn't mean I want to do something about it," Evan pointed out.

"You really don't want someone to come home to Sir?," Nate seemed genuinely puzzled by that.

"No," Lorne slapped his 2IC fondly on the back. "We can't all be as well rounded as you!"

Nate flushed – Lorne hadn't lowered his voice for that one and Reed and Cheung both piped up with their own views of their team mates 'well roundedness'.

Evan let them go on for a few minutes before standing himself. "I'll see you all tomorrow," he said, grabbing his tray and making his escape. He needed to think ... even though he was pretty sure there was no way he was going to rationalise Prudence Darnell into a nice, neat corner of his mind. But he'd give it a damn good try just the same.

**Authors Note: **

In this episode Rodney says that Caldwell is there one week out of six ... this is different to the schedule for the Daedalus that I worked out previously but honestly, I can't see how Rodney's statement could be right given what else we know about the trip between Earth and Atlantis. It takes eighteen days to get there (Weir says so in Intruder) so both ways this is 36 days, or 5.1 weeks. So even if they'd go all that way and only stay a week it still doesn't work – unless they literally turn around and head straight back without spending any time on Earth. So I'm declaring Rodney's words null and void and sticking with my own schedule. Yes, this is the depth to which I think about these things! It's sad but someone has to do it LOL ...

The good news is that I am currently working on chapter 23 - yes, finally I've managed to open up a gap between writing and posting! Yay! I've had to ignore practically everything else to do it, so it would make my day if you'd take a few moments now to tell me that you're still sticking with and hopefully enjoying the story – thanks!


	18. Between Hello and 'Goodbye'

**Chapter 18: Between Hello and 'Goodbye'**

"Lieutenant Cadman," Lorne greeted Laura with a smile. The Daedalus had arrived the previous day but with the Phebus and Thalen 'incident' they'd delayed the return and transfer of personnel – which meant the new rotations hadn't even begun and already Lorne was behind.

"Sir," Laura smiled back.

"How's Earth?" Evan asked, falling into step beside her.

"As far as I could tell, good Sir," Cadman replied without her usual enthusiasm.

"Is that a note of dissention I'm hearing Lieutenant?"

"Yes, no ... maybe," she admitted. "To you I guess that sounds a little ungrateful, doesn't it Sir?" Laura looked up at him apologetically. "At least I get to talk to my family in person on a regular basis."

"You do," Lorne agreed. "You also get to spend almost three weeks out of every six on a ship travelling through space. That's quite a trade off for those phone calls Lieutenant."

"You wouldn't do it Sir?" Laura asked curiously.

"What, live on the Daedalus?" Lorne asked, frowning when she nodded. "I'm a pilot Cadman. Does being stuck in a flying brick sound like something I'd enjoy?"

"They do have F302's on board Sir," Cadman pointed out with a small smile.

"Oh, well that's all right then," Evan said, tongue in cheek. "I'm sure Colonel Caldwell wouldn't mind me taking one out for a joy ride every now and then."

"Yeah, you're right, the F302's aren't really a selling point," Laura said with a laugh.

"No," Evan agreed. "Sounds to me like you earn those phone calls Lieutenant. Now, where are you headed?"

"Infirmary Sir," Laura replied. "Jennifer and I are meeting for lunch. You're welcome to join us Sir, if you don't already have somewhere else to be."

"Thanks Lieutenant," Lorne accepted her invitation, keeping pace as they turned a corner and entered the busy area.

"Laura!" Jennifer turned from her work with a welcoming smile, taking a moment to look her friend over before moving forward to hug her.

"Jenn – you look tired," Laura said, looking at her friend in concern. "You haven't been burning the candle at both ends again have you?"

"Night shift," Jennifer said simply. "It always throws my sleep out of wack the first few shifts back on days."

"You ready for lunch?" Laura asked hopefully. "Major Lorne is joining us."

"Major!" Jennifer turned to where Evan stood a few steps away, giving the girls some room to catch up. "Just the person I wanted to see."

"Ah ... why is that Doctor?" Lorne asked hesitantly.

"Prudence mentioned that you'd taken a nasty blow to the throat yesterday Major," Jennifer said, snapping rubber gloves into place as she approached him.

"Prudence?" Evan asked, dumbfounded.

"Doctor Darnell," Jennifer clarified with a roll of her eyes. "She mentioned it in passing during our book club meeting this morning. Said it was the worst bruise she'd personally seen. You know, you really should have come down straight away Major. There's not much we can do for a bruise once it's shifted from red to black and blue."

"There's a book club on Atlantis?" For some reason that fact struck Lorne as the most noteworthy thing he could comment on.

"Yes Major," Jennifer confirmed with a half laugh. "We meet once a month to discuss one of the novels the Daedalus brings in for us. It's open for anyone to join. Now, do you want to take a seat up here," she patted the nearest exam bed, "so I can make sure a memorable bruise is the only thing you have to worry about?"

"Not especially," Lorne replied, earning an exasperated look from Jennifer and an amused laugh from Laura, who was watching the two of them with barely concealed interest. "Fine," he muttered, lifting himself onto the bed.

"You'll need to unbutton your shirt Major," Jennifer pointed out patiently.

"Right, sure," Lorne quickly popped the buttons but left the shirt hanging open, wishing he'd taken the time to put on an undershirt that morning. He felt a little uncomfortable baring his chest with Cadman standing nearby but there was no way he was going to ask her to leave and reveal an unexpected level of modesty. Instead he pinned her with a stern look when she opened her mouth to say something. He didn't need any wisecracks from her, especially when he'd been caught on the back foot like he was. "It's really nothing Doc," he told Jennifer. "I can't believe Doctor Darnell even mentioned it to you."

"She was worried," Jennifer said, shifting the shirt off Evan's shoulders and out of the way before gently raising his chin. "Prudence wasn't wrong – this is quite a bruise you have here Major." Jennifer moved on from her visual examination, pressing her fingers carefully to his throat. "You have a little swelling around the pharynx. Any pain when you swallow?"

"Some," Lorne admitted, trying not to wince when she continued to manipulate his neck, shifting to turn his head from side to side carefully and watching for any reaction from Evan.

"No muscle damage," Jennifer continued. "Lucky for you Doctor Weir hit you high. Any lower and she'd have struck you directly in the larynx and you'd be giving all your orders via sign language for the next few days."

"Yeah, lucky me," Lorne drawled.

"Doctor Weir hit you Sir?" Laura knew a situation had gone down in the city the day before but the nitty gritty details hadn't fully made the rounds as yet.

"To be precise Lieutenant, an alien entity called Phebus hit me while she was using Doctor Weir's body to finish up a war she didn't care had ended centuries ago," Lorne replied blandly.

"I'll say one thing, life on Atlantis never gets boring, does it Sir?" Laura quipped.

"It certainly doesn't," Evan agreed. Turning back to Jennifer he raised a brow. "Are we done here?"

"You could use a cold compress tonight to reduce the swelling," Jennifer suggested. "Alternatively I could give you some anti inflammatories and mild pain killers. Aside from that it's just a matter of waiting for the bruising to fade over time."

"I'll pass on the drugs Doc," Lorne dismissed the need, "but I will try the compress if I need it later." Jumping down from the bed he pulled his shirt back into place and quickly buttoned it.

"Right – so, lunch?" Laura declared, grabbing Jennifer's arm as soon as the other woman had disposed of her gloves.

"Hang on," Jennifer stopped to remove her white coat and then hooked her arm through Laura's, the two matching their stride's to Evan's.

"So, who's this Prudence you both mentioned," Laura asked curiously as they walked down the hall. "Have I met her?"

"Probably not," Jennifer answered before Lorne could. "She's more of a workaholic than I am – mostly she's been building a proper translation program for Ancient and Wraith. Actually, apart from book club I think she keeps to herself."

"But she knows the Major here enough to be worried about his welfare," Laura directed her comment to Jennifer to avoid the whole 'trying to grill a senior officer' thing.

"I suppose so," Jennifer glanced at Evan curiously. "Major?"

"My team escorts a lot of the scientists off world for their pet projects," Lorne knew he had to give Laura something or she'd keep digging until she drew blood. "Including Doctor Darnell. That's not why she mentioned my injury to Doctor Keller though – she was doing some research way off the grid when the thing with Phebus and Thalen went down – ended up stuck with my team when Phebus locked down the entire city."

It was all said very matter-of-factly but Laura's gaze still sharpened. "She sounds interesting. I'd like to meet her," she announced.

"There's always movie night next week," Jennifer suggested as they walked into the busy mess hall. They all grabbed sandwiches and found an empty table, sitting down before Jenn continued. "Maybe I could invite Prudence to our next one. I'm sure Claudia won't mind. You could come too Major, so she's not being invited into a room full of strangers."

"Forget it Doc. There is _no_ way I'm gonna be the lone male in your girl's night thing," Evan said with a smirk.

"Don't be a coward Sir," Cadman challenged. "If it makes you feel better I'll invite Carson too, okay?"

"So you're still seeing the good Doctor Beckett?" Lorne asked. "How's that going Lieutenant?"

"It's fine, considering we don't see each other most of the time," Laura shot back. "Don't change the subject Sir."

"What was the subject again?" Lorne asked innocently, earning a laugh from Jennifer when Laura groaned impatiently.

"Movie night, Major," Jennifer piped up, smiling at both of them.

"Okay, fine, email me the details," Evan caved, shaking his head. "But put on a chick flick and I'm out of there."

"We won't. Better yet, you can choose the movie yourself Major," Jennifer offered.

"Excellent," Cadman smiled triumphantly and Lorne knew with certainty that somehow he was going to end up regretting this one.

* * *

It was an interesting thing to both want to bump into someone while at the same time hope that you didn't. Lorne wanted to see Prue if for nothing else than to check that he wouldn't end up feeling awkward or worse, replay that kiss in his head every time she was anywhere near him. Strangely he didn't want to see her for _exactly _the same reason ... if it turned out he couldn't stop that rerun then he'd be forced to think about how to handle it, and the less time he spent thinking about Prudence Darnell the better for his peace of mind.

In the end the choice was taken out of his hands when Prue sought him out a couple of days after the lockdown.

"Major," she said after knocking on his door.

"Doctor," Lorne stood, running his eyes over her instinctively but discretely. Yeah, she was still too attractive for his mental wellbeing and he still wanted to strip that facade from her so he could see the real her underneath. "What can I do for you?" he asked easily, letting none of what he was thinking show.

"I actually wanted to talk to you about scheduling some time to try a few things with the Ancient gene," Prue replied. "I've been looking into that reference you made about practice."

"_Already_?" Lorne's brows rose sharply. "Now I feel like a lazy assed slacker Doctor."

"Working through the Ancient database is kind of my job Major," Prue said, amused. "Although I admit I couldn't find the specific research you mentioned, there are enough hints here and there for me to think you might be on to something."

"Really?" Evan didn't offer up his source – the idea of telling Prue that he didn't know where that reference was in the database because he regularly went to a hologram for help just didn't do it for him. "So you want me to practice?"

"Something like that," Prue smiled. "I'll work out a process for experimentation so we'll know with scientific authority if practice actually does deliver results."

"Sounds like fun Doc," Lorne drawled with teasing sarcasm. Since he couldn't literally 'run for the hills' to avoid Prue, he wasn't opposed to torturing himself by spending some dedicated time with her – which either made him crazy or a glutton for punishment. "When do you want to get started?"

"Do you have a regular block of free time?" Prue asked hopefully. "To give this the best chance of success we really need regular, frequent sessions."

"Now you're pushing it," Lorne shook his head. "I don't even need to check my schedule to tell you that's bordering on impossible, unless you want to meet me before my morning run."

"What time would that be?" she asked curiously.

"Ah – usually around oh five thirty hours," Evan admitted.

"You get up at five thirty every morning?" Prue asked incredulously.

"It's quiet," he said defensively. "Less people around looking to skip paperwork and make their requests in person. Besides, have you ever seen the dawn here?"

"No," Prue admitted.

"Okay – meet me tomorrow morning at oh five thirty hours and we'll take care of that oversight too," Lorne suggested. "I can give you half an hour for this gene practice thing."

"Five _thirty_," Prudence said again.

"Not a morning person I take it," Evan added that fact to the facts he was accumulating about her.

"Morning's usually when I regret not going to bed early enough the night before," Prue admitted ruefully.

"Your choice Doctor," Lorne said with a shrug. "It's either early mornings with me or you're gonna have to find a different gene holder to be your guinea pig."

"It was your suggestion initially Major and I'd like you to follow it through," Prudence said decisively. "If you can get up early every day then so can I. Tomorrow morning it is."

"Central Tower, balcony on level fifty," Lorne instructed. "It's got the best view," he added when she looked at him quizzically.

"Central Tower level fifty," Prue repeated dutifully. "See you then Major."

Nodding, Lorne watched her walk out, already looking forward to showing her one of his favourite sights on Atlantis. "_Because you're being helpful_," he told himself, stubbornly refusing to acknowledge that it was more than that.

* * *

It was as quiet as he'd promised, the darkness just starting to give way to those first traces of light that always preceded the sun's rise. The air was crisp and clean too, encouraging the taking of long deep breaths that left him feeling revitalised and full of the energy he'd need for his run.

"Major?" Prue stood inside the balcony entrance, looking at the bench where he sat uncertainly.

"Hey," Lorne grinned up at her. She looked half asleep but she was there on time when he'd half expected to have to radio her a wakeup call. "Pull up a pew," he invited. "The show's about to start." Her hair was still pulled back tightly but she was dressed casually – the uniform he'd never seen her out of replaced with track pants and a t-shirt, leaving her looking softer, less purposeful. He liked it ... too much.

"Thank you Major," she said, lowering herself gingerly to sit beside him.

"Do me a favour Prue," he said softly, his eyes directed out to the horizon. "I'm not on duty and neither are you. Let's leave the ranks and the titles for when we are, okay?"

"Okay," she murmured.

Glancing over at her he smiled to see her watching the horizon intently. Resting his back against the wall he focussed on where the sky was gradually lightening, the dark blue shifting into a paler, almost purple before the fire of reds and yellows pushed through. At first a tiny arc of colour, Lorne remained silent until the sun had grown to a half circle, until dawn had relinquished its hold on the day. Engrossed in nature's display, wishing like he did every day he'd watched it that he could capture its inspiration on canvas, it took Evan a while to realise that Prue had stopped watching the sunrise in favour of watching him.

"Inspiring, right?" he asked, trying to read the expression in her eyes.

"I think you've finally managed to surprise me Evan," Prue murmured, still watching him intently. "This side of you that's captivated by something as simple as a sun rising. It's not exactly ... soldiery."

"And what _would_ be soldiery Prue?" Evan leaned his head against the wall, directing his gaze up to where the sky was still holding on to some of the dark. "Cleaning my gun? Beating up on something? Because you've seen me doing those things too, near enough."

"You're right," Prue shook her head. "I'd hate it if someone pigeon holed me based on the fact that I'm a scientist."

"So, no protractor in the top pocket then?" Lorne quipped, craning his head to look across at her. "No coke bottle glasses?"

"No," Prue agreed with a laugh. She paused, thinking, and then spoke. "Why the sunrise Evan?"

"Because it's not just a simple sunrise," he tried to explain. "It's the sun rising in a place so far from home that most people would find it hard to conceptualise. And yet, even here, that simple daily event endures. I like the continuity in that."

"When you put it like that I can see the appeal," a slight smile played over her face, drawing his attention. "Even in the midst of conflict there are still things that create a feeling of peace."

"Exactly." She got it ... the balance that existed if you looked for it, the grey that black and white always created. In a small way that meant she got him too. The warning bells were ringing but he pushed them away in favour of finding out more about her. "The sunrise does that for me. What about you?"

"That's easy," Prue grinned. "Finding clues, solving the puzzle left by those who came before us. That's my continuity, and my peace."

"Understanding what they wrote so long ago puts you one step closer to understanding yourself?" Evan guessed.

She nodded, her smile dropping away. "That's the plan anyway, one I've spent a long time following."

"You'll get there," Evan said with conviction.

"I hope you're right about that too," Prue replied, turning her attention back to the ocean, now lit by a full circle sun hovering just above the horizon.

"So, did you work out how we're doing this practice thing?" Evan asked, standing and holding down a hand to her.

"In a general sense," Prue took his hand and let him pull her to her feet before letting go again. She almost lost her balance, swaying closer to him before settling back on her heels, smiling weakly. "Thank you."

"You're welcome," Evan said simply. "Your turn to lead Prue."

"You might regret saying that," Prue said enthusiastically, seemingly forgetting herself as she grabbed his hand again and almost dragged him from the balcony.

Evan glanced down at their joined hands as they walked, wondering how he got himself into these situations. Maybe his Mom was right – maybe if he wasn't always so intent on being Mr Nice Guy he wouldn't be where he was right now – staring down the barrel of another friendship with a woman. This one irked because for the first time there was something inside urging him to make it more.

"I was thinking we'd try something simple to start," Prue was saying. They'd taken the nearest transporter from the level fifty balcony to the science labs, arriving at hers a few moments later.

"Something simple," Lorne reminded her when she stopped abruptly, dropping his hand and throwing him a startled look.

"Sorry Major," she muttered, surreptitiously wiping her own hand on her sweat pants.

"_Yeah, that's not gonna get rid of the tingle_," Evan thought, amused. "What do you have planned?" he asked, getting them back on track.

"Right," Prue crossed to her laptop and quickly logged in, calling up a program she'd written the previous day. "I've created an interface to the controls for this room – since you tried to open a locked door without success I thought it would make a good experiment, because we'll be able to see progress." She pressed the enter key and the door of her lab swished closed, locking them inside. "Okay Major ... try and open the door."

Crossing to the control panel, Lorne did the usual swipe and think open, not surprised when nothing happened. Glancing over at her he raised a brow expectantly.

"Try again – ah, be more forceful," Prue waved a hand at the panel insistently.

"Right," Lorne muttered, turning back to the door. "And I guess it doesn't matter that I feel like an idiot."

"Not especially," Prue answered briskly. "Please, just try again."

"Fine," Evan stared at the control panel. "_Open_," he kind of yelled the command in his head, placing a hand over the panel. Apart from getting a startled burst of static from the city at large his efforts didn't generate a result. "Maybe you need someone with a stronger gene," he suggested. "Like Colonel Sheppard."

"Despite what you might have been told Major, I don't believe we have a reliable way to determine a person's capability with the ATA gene," Prue replied. "I don't think sitting in the command chair is an indicator of anything other than a person's willingness or prior experience with unleashing weapons capable of massive destruction."

"I haven't sat in the command chair so I'll have to take your word for that," Lorne admitted.

"You haven't?" Prue seemed surprised. "Then we need to add that to the list of things we could practice."

"I don't think Doctor Weir will approve the use of ZPM power for your experiments Prue," he told her carefully. "Let's just stick to the simple stuff for now." Looking back at the door consideringly, he frowned. "I don't think just trying harder to open this is going to work – the system is designed so that commands like locking down a section or a door can't be overridden."

"Then what would you suggest?" Prue asked.

"If you can't get in from the front, look for a back door," Lorne narrowed his eyes, thinking it through. Putting his hand back on the panel he closed his eyes, keeping his face turned away from Prue so he could concentrate.

"_Do I have access to environmental controls?_" he thought to the city.

The burst of static he got felt like an affirmative so Evan kept going.

"_Switch off the oxygen in Prue's lab_," he commanded.

The city hum turned discordant with obvious reason.

"_Turn it off – don't worry, we'll be okay_," Lorne commanded again.

The sucking of air through the vents sounded loud in the quiet of the lab.

"What are you doing Evan?" Prue asked, hands hovering over her keyboard.

"Trying something," Lorne replied distractedly, keeping his focus on his connection to the city. "Don't unlock the door yet okay."

The hum of the systems got more discordant as the oxygen level dropped until, with a whoosh, the doors opened, letting in a rush of air from the corridor outside.

"_Thanks_," Lorne thought to the city, turning back to Prue with a grin on his face. "How was that?"

"You cheated Major," Prue accused, crossing her arms over her chest pointedly.

"I don't recall you setting down any rules Prue," Evan shot back. "You said open the door," he waved a hand at the doorway. "I opened it."

"By fooling the systems into activating environmental safety overrides," Prue stared at him incredulously. "How is that practising using your gene?"

"Ah," Lorne thought for a moment. "I accessed the environmental system from a door panel – does that count?"

"N -," Prue broke off, frowning. "Actually, yes. How did you do that Major?"

"Natural charm," Lorne smirked when she glared at him. "Look, I don't know the mechanics of how the systems work, but they're all connected to each other, right?"

"Yes, but that doesn't mean you can run whatever you want from any interface," Prue insisted. "There are protocols in place to stop that – they should have stopped _you_ from doing what you just did."

"I don't know why they didn't," Lorne held up his hands in a classic gesture of innocence. Internally he was regretting the momentary desire to impress her – he'd learned something valuable about the city but in the process given Prue a mystery he knew she'd be determined to solve. "Maybe the city likes me," he suggested with a grin.

"The city is an inanimate object," Prue said, exasperated. "It doesn't have feelings!"

"I'm sure you'll work it out Doc," Lorne smiled when she glared at him. Glancing at his watch he sighed. "Time's up though ... unless you want to run with me."

Prue looked tempted by the opportunity to grill him some more but ended up shaking her head no. "I need to retrace all the commands that went through the door controls," she said instead. "See if I can work out how you linked two systems that shouldn't be able to talk to each other from here."

"Maybe next time then," Evan bounced lightly on the balls of his feet, stretching out his biceps one arm at a time before raising both arms over his head to loosen up his upper body. When he dropped them again he caught Prue literally ogling him – there was no other word for the way her eyes tracked from where his t-shirt had ridden up a little to his chest before returning to his eyes. She blushed when she realised he was watching her, turning away and busying herself at her computer.

"Thank you for your cooperation this morning Major Lorne," she said, all formal and businesslike. Lorne struggled not to show his amusement, sure she'd be less than impressed that he found her embarrassment endearing.

"No problem Doctor," he said. "Let me know when you want to do this again."

"Tomorrow, same time – here in the lab," she looked up, "if you can?"

"I'll see you then," Lorne agreed. "Don't work too hard," he added, raising a hand in a casual wave before he took off in a slow jog. "_Well, that was interesting_," he thought, not sure what to make of the morning's activities.

The city hummed happily – in its inanimate object way – and Lorne chuckled. What the hell would Prue make of that?


	19. Could this be goodbye?

**Chapter 19: Could this be goodbye?**

In keeping with his 'run for the hills' philosophy, when Prue's request for a return to M4R-322 came through Lorne quickly assigned her to Ryan Cheeseman's team. It wasn't like she hadn't been there before and Teneo would look after Prue – the old man would have done so anyway but had even more incentive to be good to the teams from Atlantis since Lorne had informed him that Doctor Weir approved Kara for a future placement in the city.

Evan thought nothing further of it, not even on the day of Prue's mission. They had the movie thing with Cadman and Doctor Keller that night and he hadn't picked a movie yet. He hadn't checked with Cadman or Doctor Keller on whether Prue had accepted their invitation and it wasn't something that came up the previous three mornings they'd met for gene practice. She hadn't managed to work out how he'd opened the door the first time and made him agree not to cheat again, ignoring his protests that using any means to achieve an objective wasn't cheating.

So, back to movie selections. As he considered what to choose it occurred to Evan that what he picked could reveal something about him, if he let it. So, definitely nothing with romance in it – no way was he watching anything remotely couple related in a room that included Laura Cadman and Prudence Darnell.

He was tempted to pick something serious, like Kingdom of Heaven, but he could almost hear his Mom's voice admonishing him to choose something that the girls would like too. They had a list of DVDs new to the city – mostly films that had been in the cinema early the previous year. Trouble was he didn't pay enough attention to movie releases to know what most of them were just based on their titles. But as he looked down the list a title jumped out at him and he grinned. "Perfect," he murmured, reserving his selection to make sure it would still be there later.

"Major Lorne to the Control Room."

They were common words and yet Lorne knew immediately. Prue was still off world and something had happened. "On my way," he said, closing his laptop and hurrying through the door.

"It's Captain Cheeseman," Doctor Weir told Evan when he strode into the control room. "He wants to talk to you."

"Captain, Lorne here," Evan said briskly, eyes on the open wormhole below.

"Sir," Lorne could hear the reluctance in the young officer's voice. "Teneo specifically asked me to contact you ... his granddaughter and Doctor Darnell haven't returned to the settlement. I can't raise them or Corporal Casey on the radio."

"Where were they?" Evan asked.

"They were supposed to be at the same ruins you took Doctor Darnell to the first time Sir," Cheeseman replied.

"But they aren't there," Lorne concluded grimly.

"No Sir," Cheeseman confirmed. "Barker and I just returned from checking it out. There's no sign of them."

"Right, stand by Captain," Lorne motioned for Chuck to cut the connection. "Permission to take my team through Ma'am."

"Granted Major," Doctor Weir replied.

Nodding, Lorne strode away, fingers already at his ear as he radioed Coughlin, Reed and Cheung to meet him in the Jumper Bay. M4R-322 might be heavily forested, making a Puddle Jumper impractical, but there was no way Evan was wasting four hours walking to the settlement.

He flew the Jumper through the wormhole a few minutes after the call had come in, spotted their welcoming party and circled to land at the edge of the clearing. It was Teneo himself who waited for them, grim faced and looking for the first time since Lorne had met him like the warrior he must have been years before.

"Major, thank you for coming," Teneo said as Lorne stopped, his team ranged out behind him.

"No problem. Did Kara or Doctor Darnell give any indications they intended to go somewhere else?" Lorne asked.

"No," Teneo replied. "When Prudence and I compared notes on her arrival, she realised there was a sector of the ruins you didn't see during your previous visit. That was their only destination today."

"Did you check this other part of the ruins?" Lorne asked Cheeseman.

"I thought we did Sir," Ryan said, uncertain in the face of a superior officer's all purpose approach. "We didn't see any signs that anyone had been there at all."

"Right, so no signs of trouble, but Kara and Doctor Darnell are nowhere to be found," Lorne summarised grimly.

"You will go and look for them yourself?" Teneo asked hopefully.

"I will," Evan returned. "_We _will."

Turning to Cheeseman and Barker, he gave brisk instructions for them to remain at the gate and then motioned for his team to return to the Jumper. In the air all they could see were the tree tops, miles and miles of them stretching out into the distance.

"We won't be able to make out much on the ground," Coughlin commented, taking the seat behind Lorne as Reed sat in the co-pilot's chair. Jimmy, quiet as usual, waited for everyone else to settle before taking the last seat.

"We won't need to just yet," Lorne pointed out. "We'll fly to the ruin site coordinates, run scans until we find something, and then ..."

"And then?" Nate asked.

"And then I'm landing this ship whether there's a spot for it or not," Evan finished grimly.

"Doctor Darnell probably just lost track of the time Sir," Reed suggested. "It wouldn't be the first time."

"No it wouldn't," Lorne agreed.

"But then they'd have answered their radios," Cheung pointed out quietly.

Nodding, Evan called up the HUD, checked his position and made a slight correction.

"Not if they're inside the ruins," Reed countered, sticking to the positive. "A lot of them are shielded."

"True, so let's not second guess ourselves," Lorne slowed his approach, hovering over the ruins as low to the trees as he could get. Accessing the scanners – which included a Jumper sized version of the hand held life signs detectors - he focussed on getting a reading off the ground below.

"Anything Sir?" Coughlin asked.

Lorne held up a hand, wordlessly requesting quiet, as he let the Jumper 'talk' to him. "They're not down there," he murmured after a few moments of searching.

"You can tell that from the HUD?" Reed glanced at the display himself, trying to puzzle it out.

"They can't have gone far," Evan continued, ignoring Dan's question. Circling their starting position in an expanding spiral he kept his thoughts tight. "_Human life signs. Shielded structures. Underground chambers_." That's what he was looking for and when the Jumper passed over a section of trees about an hour's walk from the main ruins he knew he'd found something. "There," he announced, pointing to the HUD and a section of particularly dense tree cover.

"I'm not seeing it Sir," Reed admitted, squinting at the display.

"Take the controls," Evan ordered, the ship responding immediately by transferring commands to Reed's position. The young man grabbed the stick, the Jumper lurching for a second before Dan had control and righted it.

"Sorry Sir," he muttered, flushing a little.

"No problem," Lorne stood, putting a hand on Reed's shoulder. "All I need you to do is keep it steady Dan. Can you do that?"

"Yes Sir," Reed responded confidently.

"Good man," Lorne motioned for Coughlin and Cheung to follow him into the back section.

"You're not gonna do what I'm thinking you're gonna do, are you Sir?" Nate asked.

"That depends Sergeant," Evan pulled open one of the storage units, pulling out a large coil of rope and some basic climbing equipment. "Were you thinking we were going to drop a rope and abseil down there?"

"Yes Sir," Nate grimaced uneasily.

"Then yes I am," Lorne agreed with a casualness that belayed the seriousness of the situation. "The trees are too thick to give us any other option."

Coughlin looked like he was going to protest for a moment, but then he nodded, and grabbed some more gear for himself. Lorne looped one end of the rope through the arm of the back section bench and tied it off, testing to make sure it was secure. Threading on the descender that would help control his speed, he looped the rope behind him, for the extra friction it would create in case something went wrong. Glancing up Lorne did a quick visual check to make sure Coughlin was also ready.

"Brace yourself," he called out to Reed, seconds before he slapped the rear hatch release. The large shape lowered to hang from the Jumper, dragging the back end down. They all stumbled forward before Dan righted the ship, bringing it level again. "Be ready in case we need you to haul us back up quickly," he told Cheung, throwing the other end of his rope over the edge.

The young man nodded, taking up position where the ropes were tied off. "Ready Sir," he said.

"I'll go first," Lorne told Nate, moving carefully to the edge of the Jumper where the hatch hung down at a sharp angle. Testing the rope one last time Evan walked down the hatch until his feet hit the edge. Then he dropped, lowering himself slowly to the trees. It got tight as he let gravity help him through the foliage, the branches grabbing at his vest and dragging across his back. Once clear of the canopy, amidst the enormous trunks, it got a little easier, until he ran out of rope a few feet short of the ground. Lorne dropped the remaining distance, staggering a little at the fall but righting himself quickly as he radioed the Jumper. "I'm clear. Your turn Sergeant."

Lorne paced away from the drop zone, walking a circle through the trees rather than waiting for Coughlin.

"Sir?" Coughlin's voice called out to him.

"Through here," Lorne called back. The sound of rustling underbrush grew closer and then Nate appeared. "This way," Evan said, moving forward again.

Coughlin said nothing, falling in beside his CO, eyes on the shadows around them. "This place is a little creepy," he commented after they'd been walking through the trees for a few minutes.

"That it is," Lorne agreed. As they walked Evan continued to feel it – a hint of something at the edges of his mind that he hoped was a similar kind of static to what he got from the city. If it wasn't then he was in all likelihood leading them on a wild goose chase. He was at the point of thinking he'd done just that, tense with the worry that Prue and Kara were somewhere hurt or worse while he mucked around in the woods, not helping at all.

But then the feeling began to grow. They were getting closer ... Evan was sure of it when the trees began to thin a little, replaced by stone columns of Ancient origins. They rose into the air, the messages carved on them a mystery to him. They weren't the source of the mental static so Lorne kept walking, pulling out the ancient scanner once he thought they'd be in range.

"Over there," he nodded to their right, shifting direction, his eyes on the display. There were more columns, closer together and showing signs of damage, some broken with segments resting on the ground, others leaning and appearing to hold each other up.

Evan stopped, the scanner showing a power source all around them, rendering it useless for narrowing down where they should search. "Whatever it is, we're directly above it," he told Coughlin. Pulling out his radio he switched to the standard off world channel all the teams used. "Lorne to Darnell. Please respond." Not getting a response he switched channels, trying again. "Lorne to Darnell. Respond." Still nothing.

"Okay, so that was a long shot," Evan muttered, putting the radio aside.

"What now Sir?" Coughlin asked. "Should we start a search grid?"

"No," Lorne turned away, closing his eyes, harnessing his worry and his escalating fear for Prue's wellbeing into trying to pinpoint the focal point of the systems he could feel were there. He just needed to try harder.

"Sir?" Nate said uncertainly.

"_Wait_," Lorne said forcefully, staying where he was.

"Sometimes you're a very strange man ... Sir," Nate muttered, watching his team leader's actions with a puzzled frown.

Lorne ignored his second, straining to listen mentally for something that would help him. When one direction seemed to draw him more than any other he took off again, hurrying through the trees with Coughlin close on his heels. Evan saw the column, freshly broken, lying across a section of ground that had been cleared recently to reveal a concrete trapdoor. The door itself was abandoned to one side.

Skidding to a halt Evan took it all in ... the heavy column blocking the way, a standard issue boot commonly worn by everyone on Atlantis sticking out on one side.

"Prue," her name whispered from his lips as he froze.

Coughlin was the one to move forward, circling the column and squatting down. "Casey, Sir," he said sadly. "He didn't make it."

"Damn it!" Lorne moved to Nate's side, looking down at the body of another young officer who wouldn't be going home, his chest crushed by the weight of stone carved millennia before he'd been born.

"It must have fallen fast," Coughlin observed, quickly shrugging off his jacket and pausing a moment before respectfully covering Casey's body while Lorne stood by in silent regret. It made Evan sad and angry ... none of which would help him find Prue and Kara ... as usual he had to push everything aside to concentrate on their immediate concerns.

"To fast to avoid ... or Casey was trying to help someone," Lorne pointed out, dropping to his knees, his torch in hand. "Where are the girls?" he added, shining the light into the chamber below. The sounds of stone shifting against stone echoed up to them. "Prue?" Lorne yelled. "Kara? Are you down there?"

"Evan!" Kara's young voice was awash with relief. "Oh, thank the Ancestors you found us!"

"Is Prudence down there with you?" Lorne felt like his blood had slowed its pace through his body as he waited for Kara's answer.

"She is but I can't rouse her," Kara sniffed, voice thick with tears. "It's really dark down here and your friend ... Corporal Casey ... he wasn't answering me. I didn't know what to do."

"We're here now and we'll get you out of there," Lorne promised. "Are you hurt Kara?"

"No, I was already on the ground when everything went wrong," Kara replied.

"That's good," Lorne said reassuringly. "I need you to help me work out how badly Doctor Darnell is hurt, okay?"

"What should I do?" Kara asked uncertainly.

"Can you find Prue's pulse for me Kara – press your fingers to her wrist until you feel her heart beat?"

"Okay," there was a pause before Kara spoke. "I can feel it Evan."

"Okay," Evan felt the relief washing over him almost like an adrenalin low. "I need you to count beats for me – don't stop until I tell you to," Lorne pulled up his sleeve to reveal his watch. "Starting ... now." He watched as fifteen seconds seemed to crawl by. "Stop! How many did you count?"

"There were thirty two beats," Kara replied. "Is that good?"

One twenty eight beats per minute when it should have been between sixty and a hundred? No, that wasn't what he'd been hoping for.

"Shock?" Nate suggested.

"Maybe – early stages," Evan cast his second a worried glance. "It's okay for now," he called down to Kara. Pulling out length of nylon cord, Lorne tied it around his torch and then edged cautiously closer to the opening. Shards of stone and dirt scattered to the floor below, accompanied by the sounds of Kara coughing. Evan froze, waiting until silence returned before carefully lowering his torch into the hole. "I'm dropping my light down to you," he called out. "When you get it I need you to examine Prue, see if you can find any obvious injuries. Don't move her though, okay. Just do what you can without disturbing her too much."

"Okay," Kara's voice shook but she grabbed the torch when it was in reach.

Evan waited where he was, his own heart rate increasing again. He was nervous ... enough that his mind was blank. There was now and that was it – he wasn't willing to think about the after if it turned out Prue was badly hurt. He'd thought during the lockdown that Prue needed an object lesson to appreciate the concept of danger ... but this was much bigger and a hell of a lot scarier and he regretted the thought ever crossing his mind.

"I can't find anything," Kara called out after a few minutes. "She feels cold though and her breathing is shallow. What should I do Evan?"

"Just stay with her," Evan replied. "If you've got a jacket or something similar cover Doctor Darnell to keep her warm. You're doing find Kara. Hold tight okay – I'll get you out."

Getting up carefully, he retreated a few paces, eyes on the column covering half of the opening. The stone entrance was cracked where the column had struck and the column itself was also cracked down the middle. None of it looked that steady, making anything they did a risk.

"I need to get down there," he announced decisively.

"I don't think that's a good idea Sir," Coughlin has also been checking the state of their problem. "In all likelihood we'd end up having to rescue you too."

"The Daedalus will take hours to get here and it doesn't sound like Doctor Darnell has that kind of time - if she isn't already in shock, the longer we leave her down there the more chance she will be," Lorne pointed out grimly. "Flying any engineering equipment in here is out of the question and bringing it in on foot will take hours so, same problem. I'm going down there," he turned away, moving to where he'd dropped his pack on the ground. Rummaging through it he ran inventories in his head, what he had on hand as well as what they usually carried in the back of the Jumper.

"Reed," he radioed their team mates. "We've found them," he gave Dan their position. "Bring the Jumper directly over us and use our ropes to lower down all the rest of the rope we have." The broken column creaked, ominously loud, more shards of stone falling away. "Make it snappy," he told Reed, feeling the urgency.

"Yes Sir," Reed replied.

Coughlin watched as his CO circled the nearest trees assessingly, obviously looking for the sturdiest one to tie off against. "Forgive me for saying this Sir, but would you be doing this if it were anyone else down there?" he asked quietly.

Lorne shot him a narrow eyed gaze before returning to his inspection of the trees. "I'd like to say yes but honestly, I don't know," he replied. "We're not involved Nate - Prue and I - if that's what you're implying."

"You don't need to be to have feelings for someone Sir," Nate pointed out. "The getting involved part would just be the outlet for what's already there."

"I'm not leaving her down there to die," Evan's voice was too harsh and he cleared his throat before speaking in a more reasonable tone. "Now, are you going to help or continue commenting on my love life?"

"I'll remind you that you called it that later Sir," Coughlin told him, knowing his CO well enough to predict that he'd try to step back from any admissions in the cool light of day.

"Sir, the rope is on its way down to you," Reed's voice over the radios drew their eyes upwards.

"We see it," Lorne shifted until he was directly underneath the slowly lowering bundle. Grabbing it he guided the rope to the ground, quickly unravelling it and giving one end to Coughlin. "Tie it off," he ordered, taking the other end and moving back to consider the underground chamber opening again. "Wait," he stopped Nate, reconsidering his options. "That won't work – too much risk we'll bring the edges down if we rest any weight against them. We need something like a barbeque spit," he decided, looking around for fallen tree limbs.

Finding what he needed, he and Nate quickly rigged up a simple spit, like that used to cook a pig over an open fire, using more cord and most of the cable ties they had on them to secure each end together. This one was much bigger than a standard spit rig, each crisscrossed end a fair distance from the edge of the opening, a sturdy log placed to rest over it.

They'd tied the rope to the middle with the descender device threaded through, and Lorne had the other end ready to toss down. "Okay," taking a deep breath, Evan lifted himself onto one end of the log, Nate at the other end providing a counter weight. Rising slowly, Lorne walked the log like a tight rope until he reached the middle.

"You do realise this is insane, right Sir?" Nate said, watching his team leader with a sick feeling in the pit of his stomach.

"But not as insane as if you were doing it," Lorne pointed out distractedly. "You outweigh me by about fifty pounds." At the middle of the log, Lorne squatted carefully, wincing as it bounced a little with his weight resting in the centre. "Kara, move away from the entrance. I'm on my way down to you," he called out.

"Be careful!" Kara called back.

And then it was all down to nerve ... and muscle. Evan bent low, grabbed the descender and slowly transferred his weight from his feet to his hands. He stopped once all his weight was on the rope, his boots gripping it below. And then, one small space at a time, Lorne carefully made his way down the rope, manoeuvring around the collapsed column along the way.

The darkness blinded him for a few moments until his eyes adjusted and he could see. When his feet touched the ground his heart was pounding again - not from the exertion though. It was nerves building the closer he got to finding out how bad the situation was for Prue. This was definitely one of those 'what you don't know can't hurt you' times ... but he had to know. Looking around for Kara he was her waving his torch in the far corner. And then Evan was there, at her side, without any recollection of how he'd gotten there, dropping down to where Prue lay stretched out on the floor.

She was still ... deathly pale. For a second he thought he was too late, until he saw her chest rising and falling in time with her shallow breaths. Shrugging his pack off Evan ripped the first aid kit out, opening it quickly. He took her blood pressure first – it was a little low, another sign that she could be in shock.

"What happened?" he asked Kara, moving on to carefully check Prue over. His hands were sure now that he was doing something active to help her.

"Prudence found a kind of map at the ruins," Kara explained, her hands gripped together as she watched him. "We followed it here – the entrance wasn't even that difficult to find. Corporal Casey helped us clear away the dirt – he levered the cover off too."

"How'd you get down here?" Lorne queried, continuing to run his hands down Prue's arms and legs until he was sure she didn't have any broken bones. Carefully he unzipped her jacket and shifted it out of the way, pressing gentle fingers to her ribs, still looking for the reason for her unresponsiveness.

"There was a ladder," Kara said. "Prudence insisted that I go first because this is my home. I was already on the floor when I heard a loud crack and then a creaking sound. Prudence was halfway down the ladder – I think Corporal Casey was trying to help her back up. They were yelling and then there was a boom and they stopped and I heard something crash to the floor."

"The ladder," Lorne concluded.

"I called out to them for a long time but they didn't answer. It took me a while to work my way across to Prudence. I didn't see what happened when she fell," Kara sniffed swallowing back her tears. "I'm sorry Evan."

"Not your fault," Lorne told her sincerely. Looking up at her he frowned, seeing the tear tracks down her dust covered face, her red rimmed eyes. "You did a good job of keeping it together Kara."

"Is she ... is she going to be okay?" Kara looked at Prue worriedly.

"There are no signs of other injuries," Lorne told her, "so I'm guessing she hit her head." Cupping Prue's head, he carefully felt for a bump, knowing he'd found it when she moaned, shifting to get away from the pain. "Prue," Evan said insistently, shifting to cup her cheek. "Wake up for me okay?"

"Evan?" Prue's eyes fluttered open and then she looked at him in the torchlight, frowning. "What are you doing here?"

"Rescuing you," he said, running his thumb across her cheek. The relief was immense ... just seeing recognition and intelligence and that spark that was 'Prue' in her eyes.

"_Me_?" Prue looked confused for a moment but then her eyes sharpened. "Corporal Casey!"

Evan shook his head, letting her read the tragic news in his eyes.

"Oh God," Prue's breath hitched and she coughed weakly.

"Hey," Evan moved his hands to her shoulders to brace her. "Don't think about it ... not here." She swallowed hard, focussing only on him. "Not here," he repeated firmly. "We need to get you home now ... you and Kara."

"Okay," she whispered, pressing her lips together as she struggled to control her emotions.

"Are you hurt, apart from your head?"

Prue shifted, wincing a little, but not worryingly so. "I don't think so," she reported.

"No back pain? No chest pain?" Lorne persisted.

"I can feel where I hit something," Prue's voice sounded a little stronger. "It hurts but I'm okay." She tried to lift herself up, slumping back to the floor with a groan. "I want to sit up."

Evan wasn't convinced it was a good idea but in the same position he wouldn't want to be the only one stretched out on the floor. Working an arm under her he carefully raised Prue's upper body, shifting so that he could brace her and give her something to rest against. "Okay?" he murmured close to her ear.

"Dizzy," she admitted weakly.

"Just give it a minute," Lorne settled her back against his chest and wrapped his arms loosely around her, the tension he'd been holding inside beginning to lose its hold as he realised that she was going to be okay.

"How are you getting us out of here?" Prue asked, already sounding steadier.

"Ah ... I was kind of focused on the getting _in _part," Evan admitted.

"You came down here without a plan for getting out again?" Prue was disapproving and Lorne grimaced, glad she couldn't see his expression.

"Of course not," he said evasively. "In fact, if you're ready to go I'll just radio for my solution right now." Not waiting for her to comment, Evan kept an arm around her as he shifted to pull out his radio. "Reed, bring the Jumper as low as you can and have Cheung lower our ropes down to Coughlin. Nate, rig up a cradle – we'll raise Kara first, using the setup we've already got up there. We'll have to risk using the edge for Doctor Darnell so I'll come up with her to assist."

"Yes Sir," both men replied briskly.

"See," he told Prue as he closed off the channel, "got it covered."

"You just made that up on the spot!" Prue accused.

"Maybe, but can you prove it?" Evan challenged, the fact that he was smiling slightly a harsh contrast to how he'd felt less than an hour before.

Kara's laugh drew their attention to her. "My grandfather was right," she said, smiling. "You two were made for each other."

**Authors Note:**

Writing is going well to the point that I don't want to stop to do anything else! I've got another seven chapters done but there is still lots left to write to get to the end of this story. Most of the chapters are still coming out pretty long ... enough that I don't want to post too often unless I know people are done with the current chapter. So I guess I'll post again this week if I think it's okay for everyone, otherwise it'll be Monday for the next chapter.

Oh, and I used wiki for information on climbing equipment and symptoms of shock ... I'm not a professional in either of these areas so please forgive any mistakes. The Jumpers do have an open arm rest thing that you could tie a rope onto though - at least according to what they show of the back section in '38 Minutes'.

Thanks for reading!


	20. Coup d'Heart

**Chapter 20: Coup d'Heart**

It took a long time and a great deal of care but eventually, through the team's combined efforts Kara, Prue and Lorne were all back on solid ground. Prue sat with Kara, their backs against a tree, while Lorne and Coughlin packed all the gear away. Evan wasn't overly worried about her from a medical stand point - she looked tired but his fears that she'd go into shock had retreated with her coherence and continued improvement since waking. No, it wasn't her physical condition that worried him, although for sure he'd be insisting Doctor Beckett cover all the bases. It was Prue's emotional state that had Lorne casting her quick, concerned glances. She was too quiet, too still, the expression on her face a combination of confusion and an almost anger that rose every time her eyes were drawn to that fallen column. He understood the combinaton - losing a team mate never made sense, no matter the circumstances, and thinking you could have done something to change it was hard to see around. She'd need help to deal with it ... help he'd give her whether she wanted it or not ... when the time was right.

"I'm going to carry you back to the ruins now," Lorne said, kneeling in front of her. "I can land the Jumper there – get you back to Atlantis faster."

Prue glanced at the column again, still resting over the entrance to the chamber below, her lips trembling.

"We'll send a team for him," Evan promised, smoothing a hand over her hair. "Come on," he said gently, getting to his feet and bending down to lift her carefully into his arms. She grabbed his shoulder, wrapping her other arm around his neck. "Okay?" he looked down at her.

Prue pressed her face to his neck, nodding wordlessly. Motioning for Coughlin to help Kara, Lorne set off through the trees, taking the most direct route back to the main ruins. There were trees there as well but not as many and he was confident he could get the Jumper down and back up again.

Somewhere around halfway through the hour long trek Prue slumped, her arm falling away to hang loosely down his back. Lorne stopped until he heard her steady breathing and realised she'd simply fallen asleep. Gathering her closer he pressed his face to her hair, breathing her in as he started walking again.

They made good time until abruptly they were there and he was facing his reluctance to leave Prue while he climbed back up to the Jumper.

"I will stay with her," Kara touched his arm, her expression full of compassion.

Nodding, Evan carefully set Prue on the ground, Kara helping him to prop her up and then sitting beside her to further support her weight. Lorne squatted in front of them for a moment, his eyes on the woman who was turning his life upside down.

"Does it still make sense to deny how you each feel?" Kara's words drew his eyes to her.

"You're too young to be this wise," Lorne touched her shoulder fondly. "But no, none of this is making much sense right now."

"I'm sorry about Corporal Casey," Kara's eyes shimmered with tears. "He was very brave."

"Yes he was," Lorne sighed sadly. Touching her shoulder again, in mutual comfort this time, he straightened, radioing Reed to make sure they were ready. Dan would have attempted the difficult landing himself but Evan didn't want to put that kind of pressure on the young officer, preferring to do it himself. Cheung sent down the rope, the ascending tool already threaded through, and Evan quickly made the climb up, pulling himself over the hatch edge and back into the Jumper. Acknowledging Jimmy he strode through to the forward section, dropping into the pilot's chair.

"How's Doctor Darnell?" Dan asked as he relinquished control of the vessel back to Lorne.

"She took a nasty blow to the head but she'll be fine once we get her back to Atlantis," Lorne replied. He glanced over at Reed before turning his attention to the controls. "Corporal Casey didn't make it."

"Fu-ck," Reed muttered grimly. Realising what he's said he straightened abruptly. "Sorry Sir."

"No need Dan," Evan shook his head. "From what I could tell he saved Doctor Darnell's life ...," he trailed off. It was something to say but really, was that any consolation to his family? Would Evan's own Mom feel better if he died in the line of duty but saved others in the process? Eventually maybe, but for that first rush of grief he was pretty sure it'd mean less than nothing.

"We ah ... we trained together sometimes," Reed admitted.

Lorne nodded. "Colonel Sheppard will send a team back to bring him home," he promised after a few moments of silence.

"Is everything okay up there Sir?" Coughlin's voice over the radio brought them back to their present task.

"Yes Sergeant," Lorne replied. "I'm about to start my descent."

"Understood," Nate returned. "It's all clear down here."

Watching the HUD Evan slowly lowered the Jumper through the gap in the trees, scrapping the rear in a couple of places where it was tight, before landing it lightly. Jumping up he opened the rear hatch and hurried back to where Prue slept. He carried her inside himself, strapping her into the back and wrapping a blanket over her tenderly.

Back in the air Evan radioed Captain Cheeseman at the gate and broke the news on Corporal Casey's death as gently as he could. Ryan was silent for a few moments - Evan waited, giving him the chance to regain his composure.

"Doctor Darnell and Kara are both okay though?" Cheeseman finally spoke.

"Thanks to Casey, yes they are," Lorne replied. "Is Teneo still there with you?"

"He is Sir," Cheeseman confirmed.

"Let him know we have Kara with us," Lorne advised. "She's uninjured but we'll take her back to Atlantis just to make sure, and return her first thing tomorrow. You and Barker escort Teneo back to the settlement Captain, and then return to Atlantis."

"Yes Sir," Ryan acknowledged, grateful to have a task that would give him additional time to talk with his remaining team mate, time for both of them to begin dealing with the tragedy.

Lorne dialled the gate as soon as they were in range and radioed their status, requesting a medical team meet them in the Jumper bay as soon as they landed.

Colonel Sheppard was there waiting too ... Evan introduced Kara quickly before she and Prue were whisked away to the infirmary with Carson. Lorne wanted to go with them but his first responsibility was to debrief Doctor Weir and John on what had happened. The Colonel motioned for Evan to walk with him to Elizabeth's office where Evan quickly summarised the sequence of events. Sheppard responded as Evan had expected by immediately sending a team to retrieve Corporal Casey's body.

"Was there anything down there Major?" Weir asked at the end of their meeting.

"In the chamber Doctor Darnell found?" Lorne clarified. "I couldn't tell you Ma'am," he admitted. "I picked up a pretty big energy reading – that's what led us to find our missing people. From what I could tell though, there was no obvious source. We need a research team there as soon as possible to investigate further."

"Very well," Weir nodded. "And how is Doctor Darnell?"

"I was about to go and find out Ma'am," Lorne admitted, keeping his expression bland because Colonel Sheppard at the least knew his relationship with the scientist had been a little rocky at times.

"Don't let us keep you then Major," John said, waving a hand dismissing his 2IC.

"Thank you Sir," Lorne stood, nodded to both and then spun on a heel, hurrying to the infirmary.

* * *

Coughlin, Reed and Cheung were all there, keeping a watching brief until Prue was installed in a regular infirmary bed.

"Any news?" Lorne asked, throwing himself into the chair next to Nate.

"They're doing scans," Nate reported, "precautionary," he added when Evan frowned in concern. "Doctor Keller said she should be ready for visitors soon."

Nodding, Evan shifted to look at his team, the pride rising as he thought about what they'd achieved that afternoon. "Tough day," he said simply, "one you all handled well. We were too late to save Casey, but we _did _save the people he sacrificed himself for. Don't forget that, okay."

"We wouldn't have found them without you Sir," Coughlin pointed out. "How'd you know which direction to look in?"

"Gut feeling," Lorne offered up the explanation, knowing Nate wouldn't be satisfied. "The Jumper scan detected those underground rooms and when I picked up the energy signature with the life signs detector it was obvious we were getting close."

"I picked up the same readings in the Jumper Sir," Reed revealed. "Couldn't have pinpointed it as accurately as you did though – surrounding us like that it swamped my readings."

"I hate to say this Dan because I know it pisses you off but ...," Lorne shrugged, "natural gene. Mine seems to give me a knack for narrowing down the basic scan results."

"That is so unfair Sir," Reed predictably reacted as Lorne expected.

"You still get to fly a Jumper Airman," he reminded his young team mate. "Be happy with that."

"Yes Sir," Dan smiled just a little. His CO had a good point.

* * *

Finally the activities of the day were over, night time descending on the city. Off duty, his team long retired to quarters, Evan found himself back at the infirmary. Prue had been given the all clear on more serious damage, lucky to get away with a severe concussion and an array of painful bruises across her shoulder and down one side. Corporal Casey had been returned to the city too, his trip back to Earth with a personal note from Doctor Weir already planned for the next day. It was a harsh reminder of what they all risked every time they stepped through the gate. That Casey had been killed in an accident instead of in battle got that point across even more – it wasn't just Wraith or Genii or other enemies they had to fear. The Ancient's themselves had left a legacy and sometimes it wasn't a kind one.

But life went on, the important _and_ the unimportant taking up space and energy, giving people something to distract them. Like movie nights. Evan and Prue had missed theirs, Jennifer taking his apologies back to the others with a promise that they'd reschedule before Laura returned to Earth.

As he sat beside Prue's bed watching her sleep, Evan realised abruptly that Coughlin had been right. He couldn't lie to himself about his own feelings – and it had nothing to do with whatever action he might feel compelled to make in the future. He wouldn't hurt Prue for the world ... but he'd come too close to losing her not to acknowledge that if given the chance he'd take whatever she offered.

Eventually one of the nurses shooed him away and he walked tiredly back to his quarters. His eyes went straight to the floor, almost expecting to see something there. On the scale of bad days, days that had injured something inside him, this one was right up there. But unlike those other bad days this time there was no small bunch of unassuming purple flowers waiting to comfort him. Since he'd never been able to find the culprit he should have been relieved that whoever was behind the gesture had given up on him but instead, deep down, he was actually a little disappointed.

* * *

Lorne waited a few days before confronting Prue. She buried herself in her lab as soon as Carson released her from the infirmary, leaving Lorne impersonal messages instead of telling him that she was cancelling their gene practice. When he finally decided she'd had enough time and went to see her early one morning he realised she'd done more than bury herself - she'd actually locked herself in her lab.

Evan swiped the controls so that the chime would announce his presence to her but she didn't respond.

"Fine," he muttered, pressing his hand more firmly to the panel. "_Open this door_," he commanded the city at large, not even bothering to try to tap into any one system. There was a king of leaping buzz of static in his head and then the doors swished silently open and he strode inside.

"When a door is locked it usually means the people inside don't want visitors Major," Prue's tone was quietly angry but he knew most of that wasn't for him.

"Yes, but usually when someone locks themselves in they have a better reason than just hiding from everyone," Lorne replied, walking forward until he was standing in front of her. When she kept her eyes locked firmly on her screen he sighed and then reached out, gently cupping her chin.

She flinched at the contact and jerked away but finally she was looking at him. They assessed each other silently for a few moments. Evan read anger and confusion from her, hoping she'd see understanding and quiet determination in him.

"You need to talk about this," he told her firmly.

"What is there to say? A young man died because of me!" Prue turned away, wrapping her arms around her middle.

"Maybe that's true," Evan's unexpected words had her spinning back to him, her eyes wide. "But if Casey died _for _you Prue, what you've been doing the past few days is hardly a fitting thank you."

"I don't understand anything anymore," Prue whispered, her eyes filling. "It wasn't supposed to be like this ... nothing is working how I thought it would when I agreed to come here."

"You want to quit, go back to Earth?"

"I couldn't go back even if I wanted to," Prue dismissed that option with a hint of bitterness in her tone and Lorne suspected they were no longer talking about the same thing. "I just need to work harder, that's all. Once I've completed my goals eveything will be right again."

"People die Prue," Evan moved forward, cupping her elbows and drawing her closer. "And no matter how old they were or what kind of life they led it's never all right for the people left behind. Its what you do to show that their life _had _value that matters. That and living your own life to those same values ... doing the right thing, standing for those who can't stand for themselves, leaving the world better than it was when you came into it ... at the end of the day isn't that what it's about?"

Prue nodded wordlessly, those brimming tears finally building too much to be contained. Dropping her head to his chest she let the tears come, trusting Evan to hold her up. It wasn't the fix-all - more the beginning of resolving and accepting what couldn't be changed - but that conversation did return their relationship to the semblance of normality they'd created. He was Major Lorne, she was Doctor Darnell and they met regularly to practice use of the ATA gene. It was what Prue needed ... and if Evan thought about how little it was compared to what his heart wanted, he made sure to keep it to himself.

* * *

"Madagascar?" Cadman looked at Lorne incredulously almost two weeks later. "You picked a _children's_ movie?"

"You got a problem with that Lieutenant?" Evan challenged. He'd arrived ahead of the others and queued up the movie, knowing it wouldn't be what anyone expected him to choose. Prue wasn't there yet - she hadn't mentioned one way or the other whether she was participating but he was hoping she would, keeping an eye on the doors as he set things up while trying not to look like he was too interested in her impending arrival.

"Ah, no Sir," Laura replied quickly. "I guess I'm just surprised."

"I have it on good authority that everyone should enjoy this," Lorne said with a shrug, settling on one of the sofas. Laura was already sitting on the other one with Carson Beckett, Jennifer and Claudia both sitting comfortably on pillows on the floor.

"Sorry I'm late," Prue rushed in, throwing an awkward smile Evan's way before turning to Jennifer. "I hope I didn't delay you starting the movie."

"Of course not," Jennifer said reassuringly. "Major Lorne just revealed his choice." Shifting, Jenn made the rest of the introductions. "The Major you know. Carson too. Sitting next to him is Lieutenant Laura Cadman, usually posted to the Daedalus," the two women exchanged greetings," and this is Doctor Claudia Moon, diplomatic services." Claudia smiled in welcome.

"Thank you for including me," Prue said, frowning when she realised the only seat left was on the couch next to Lorne.

"You might be regretting that after you see what movie Major Lorne chose," Laura smirked at her CO. "Apparently he's urging us all to get in touch with our inner child. Madagascar," she added when Prue looked puzzled.

Prue nodded uncertainly, not commenting, her attention still on the seating arrangements. Laura watched with ill concealed interest - Evan knew she was carefully cataloguing the various reasons why someone he'd professed to only know from brief professional contact would be so obviously reluctant to sit beside him, but he ignored that in favour of easing Prue's entrance to the group.

"Pull up a pew Doctor," Evan told her, waving a casual hand in invitation. Prue smiled at him gratefully, finally moving forward.

Jennifer waited until everyone was settled before pressing the play button. Despite the teasing the adults quickly got involved in the simple tale, laughing at the jokes obviously included with big kids in mind.

"Why this movie?" Prue shifted closer, asking her question in an undertone.

"My nephew raved over it when my sister took him to see it last year," Lorne admitted. "Seemed like a safe choice."

"And you always play it safe," Prue observed.

"If the situation calls for it," Evan tried not to read more into her statement, or more to the point take it as a challenge.

"Shhh," Laura glared over at them. Prue and Evan exchanged guilty glances, laughing quietly before turning their attention back to the screen.

Lorne's choice turned out to be as enjoyable as he'd hoped, the mood on the up side when it was finished, which he judged would do all of them good. Laura and Carson left as soon as it was over, Carson winking at Lorne as he invited Laura to take a walk in the moonlight with him. The Daedalus would be leaving soon, the two eager to spend as much time together as possible. Claudia cited an early meeting as her excuse for following soon after.

"I need to go too," Prue announced. "Getting up at five every morning is really tiring."

"You get up at five?" Jennifer asked in surprise.

"Just the past few weeks," Prue said absently, standing and grabbing her jacket. "Thanks again for the invitation Jennifer. I enjoyed myself very much."

"You're welcome any time Prudence," Jennifer replied with a friendly smile. When Prue looked like she was just goint to leave Jennifer glanced at Evan, raising her brow pointedly.

Not really needing the prompt, Lorne jumped up anyway, throwing Jennifer a quick thanks before hurrying after Prue. "Wait up Doc, let me walk you back to your quarters."

Prue stopped, turning to him with a frown. "It's not that far Major and I'm quite capable of finding my own way there," she said dismissively.

"Does everything have to be a battle with you?" Lorne shot back, exasperated. "Can't you ever just accept something as a genuine act of good will?"

"I do, all the time! Strangely I only have this kind of reaction with you! Why is that Major?" Prue retorted.

"You _know_ why," Evan took a step forward, ending up flush against her when she held her ground. Raising a hand he took the mood into the seductive without hesitation, answering her challenge by cupping her cheek gently. "You can't tell me you don't feel something."

"I thought you weren't going to mention that kiss unless I did," Prue glared at him but she also shivered at his touch.

"I'm not, but I never said anything about the next one," Evan pulled her up to him as he leaned down, the one to take the initiative this time. Her words might have been a protest but she didn't resist or try to pull away. He made it tender ... needed it to be more than just sexual compatibility ... _more_ so that Prue couldn't write it off as nothing like she had the first time they'd kissed.

She sighed, leaning into him, her arms moving up to his shoulders. She kissed him back too, let herself sink into his strength as he shifted to draw her closer. Evan really thought the result would be different this time but abruptly Prue was pulling away, a hand to her lips as she looked up at him with tears swimming in her dark eyes.

"Prue," he took a half step but stopped when she held up a hand.

"No," Prue cried. "I don't understand why you're doing this Evan! I'm not a likeable person – I'm stubborn and too focussed and most of the time I struggle to be objective about my work ... and I know there are things about me that will make you angry eventually." She struggled to calm down, trembling with the effort. "Can we just be friends, please?" she pleaded. "Because ... you can't care about me ...," swiping at the tears running down her cheeks she sniffed, "and I can't care about you." Throwing him a distraught look, she turned and fled.

"Too late for that," Evan muttered, staring after her for a moment before deciding it wouldn't be wise to follow her. Turning, he saw Jennifer standing in the rec room doorway, and let out a low groan. "Tell me you didn't catch all of that Doc."

"No can do Major," Jennifer said with an understanding smile.

"Great," Lorne ran a hand through his hair, looking at her carefully. "Can I ask you to keep what you saw to yourself? Prue and I are ... we're nothing, despite what you saw."

"You're _not_ nothing," Jennifer protested. "I saw some real emotion between you and Prudence, Major."

"And it's irrelevant because Prue isn't interested in more than friendship," Lorne retorted. "My opinion doesn't come into it."

"It's easy to decide you want more without considering the complications when you know there's no chance it's actually going to _be_ more," Jennifer said earnestly. "That's your position right now. What's Prue's?"

"Ah ... I'm not sure I get where you're going with this Jennifer," Lorne leaned against the wall, crossing his arms over his chest. Ordinarily he'd never had discussed his personal life in the hallway with anyone, but Doctor Keller had caught him 'in the act' and trying to pretend otherwise seemed pointless. Besides, he liked Jennifer and if he ever needed a female viewpoint, now was the time.

"She's the one who has to make an active decision now Evan," Jennifer pointed out gently. "Just give her some time ... because from what I saw, despite what you think, she _hasn't_ decided yet. It would be plain to anyone who witnessed that kiss that she _does _care about you as much as you care about her. Don't worry," she added when he looked uncomfortable with her conclusions. "Your secret is safe with me."

"I know that Jennifer," Evan put a hand to her shoulder gratefully. "Thanks for the advice."

"Anytime Evan," Jenn replied, smiling. "Maybe you can return the favour one day."

"Just say when," Lorne promised.

**Authors Note:**

Movies of 2005 from themovieinsider dot com. Madagascar was released in late May to the cinema, no idea when it came out on DVD. Thanks to everyone who reviewed the last chapter - I thought you'd much prefer another chapter instead of a reply. Will get to that soon ... you all know how much I appreciate and look forward to seeing your reactions. And yes, lots more story, coming soon!


	21. Personal Coup

**Chapter 21: Personal Coup**

They had sent a team back to M4R-322 straight after the incident with the underground chamber but bizarrely there had been no sign of that energy signal both Lorne and Reed had picked up – the one that had led them to finding Prue and Kara and the site of more 'prophesy columns'. It was strange enough that another team was scheduled to go there the morning after movie night to take another look. The team went early in the day and returned a few hours later with the same conclusions - it was like that energy reading had never existed in the first place. Lorne couldn't explain it – comparing notes with Dan when the team met for dinner, they both agreed there _had _been an energy source somewhere near the ruins. They just couldn't prove it.

"Maybe we drained it somehow Sir?" Reed suggested.

"Maybe," Evan agreed. "It seems a little coincidental it would drain down to zero all by itself, but it has been a couple of weeks since the first team went back there so I guess it's possible." His tone made it clear he thought it improbable.

Lorne was expecting Prue wouldn't be impressed when she found out another team had gone to three two two, because she'd wanted to be the one investigating the potential discovery. Lorne was pretty sure it was only the fact that she wanted him to keep turning up for gene practice that had gotten him off the hook when the first team had gone back there. Of course, then he'd made the mistake of kissing her again ... things hadn't improved since then ... in fact she'd cancelled their usual morning meeting and he hadn't seen her all day.

"_Don't go there_," he told himself, impatient with how often his thoughts had returned to Prue since the previous night. "We'll have research teams going out there on a regular basis now to catalogue those columns," he told Reed, something he planned to discuss with Prue - while she hadn't been the best person to look for Ancient energy readings, she _was _the best they had for deciphering those columns. "If it's an intermittent thing then we might get lucky and have someone else detect it too."

"I bet Doctor McKay was disappointed," Nate commented with a faint smirk.

"Another possible ZeePM disappearing into myth," Lorne returned, amused. "Understandable. One is never going to be enough for McKay."

Nate's eyes shifted to look over Evan's shoulder but he hadn't needed that to know that someone – no, not someone, _Prue _– was standing behind him.

"Major," her voice was uncertain.

"Doctor," he returned, shifting so that he could look at her properly.

"I ah ... have you got a minute?" she glanced at his team mates and then refocussed on him. "Privately?"

"Sure, of course," Lorne stood, waiting for her to pick somewhere she'd consider private in the busy Mess Hall.

Prue glanced around, frowning. "Not here," she muttered, leading him from the room and then stopping in the corridor outside. "I ah ... I wanted to apologise."

"For what?" Lorne asked.

"For what happened last night," Prue said, keeping it vague.

"As I recall, I kissed you Doc," Lorne reminded her, perversely enjoying the blush that rose on her cheeks at his blunt statement.

"I know but I made too much of it," Prue persisted. She looked up at him almost shyly. "I'd ... I really want to be friends Major."

"Then we'll be friends," Evan said simply.

"Really?" Prue blinked, clearly surprised at his easy agreement.

"Really," Lorne confirmed. "Listen, dinner's not over. Why don't you join us right now?"

"I – okay," Prue smiled. "Thank you Major."

"No problem Doc," Lorne put a hand to her back instinctively, and just as quickly moved it away when the resulting zing reminded him that, while they might be going down the friendship road, as far as his 'instincts' were concerned there was a lot more there.

Nate's brow rose when Prue returned with Evan, taking a seat next to the Major. When Nate caught his CO's eye, Evan shook his head subtly, the message clear ... 'nothing to write home about here buddy.'

* * *

That was the beginning of the most frustrating period in Lorne's personal life to date. He'd agreed to be friends – what other choice did he have? – but he couldn't get Prue out of his head. She'd begun creeping under his skin from the day they'd met and although he should have avoided her as much as possible, Evan couldn't stop himself from making their friendship real, from taking any chance to be with her.

Gene practice most mornings, more sunrises, meals with his team ... over the space of the next few weeks they did all that, settling into a regular routine that quickly became Evan's definition of a normal day. They were seen around the city together enough that Lorne was sure the gossips were talking up a storm, betting on when their obvious friendship would become more. Since it was part and parcel of living in what was a small community, Evan ignored it, a part of him amused that Prue didn't _have _to ignore it because she was completely oblivious to all of it.

She captivated him – it was a struggle not to show her how much sometimes.

They talked about all manner of things, argued too sometimes if their points of view clashed, and just as quickly agreed to disagree. They spent time together for no particular reason. Evan was seeing a side to Prue he'd known was there but never experienced firsthand – a side that had him learning more about her, that had him realising it would never be enough to satisfy the urge to know her completely.

After so much time together he no longer needed to touch her to be reminded that he was attracted to her as much as any man had ever been attracted to a woman. That zing of connection when he touched Prue was the least of his problems because now he just had to be within touching distance and he felt it – like hovering electricity that only waited for him to touch metal before it punished him with an electric shock.

At first it was all kind of enervating, but as the weeks passed and he realised all the non-friendship feelings he had weren't going to just disappear, the frustration started to kick in. He couldn't tell Prue he wanted to go back to their strictly professional relationship, especially not now that he and his team had become such an integral part of her life ... it wasn't in him to be cruel and doing so wouldn't fix his problem anyway. He had a sinking suspicion nothing short of one of them leaving the city was going to fix it, although part of him wondered whether even _that_ would do the trick.

And the frustration continued to build.

* * *

"I see from Doctor Darnell's weekly report that you've been helping her conduct some research into the ATA gene," Doctor Weir commented. She and Lorne were having one of their regular meetings to review new staff placement ahead of the Daedalus's next trip, and had just concluded the standard portion of that.

"Yes Ma'am," Evan said easily. "I've been meaning to mention for a while that I was following up on your suggestion." When Elizabeth looked momentarily puzzled, he clarified. "That practice might improve use of the gene Ma'am. I stumbled across some information in the Ancient database that kind of suggested you might be right."

"Oh, of course," Weir smiled. "And do you have any conclusions Major?"

"It's a little hard to say Ma'am," Lorne admitted. "Doctor Darnell probably explains it better, but as I understand it, to measure progress scientifically you need an accurate baseline."

"And measuring anyone's base expertise with the gene has always been difficult," Weir concluded.

"Exactly," Lorne shrugged. "I can tell you that some things seem a little easier, but I can't tell you if that's because I've been actively trying to use the gene more or because I'm just doing things I wouldn't have thought do do prior to helping with Prue's research."

"We need a way to determine what an individual can do with the gene," Elizabeth commented.

"Do we Ma'am?" Lorne countered.

Elizabeth looked at him, surprised. Lorne wasn't a pushover but no one would describe him as outspoken either.

"I'm not trying to play devil's advocate here," Evan explained earnestly. "It just seems to me that a large part of the gene is the way the person thinks. If we try to set in concrete with some kind of test what we _think _a person can acheive then it doesn't allow for circumstances bringing out unusual performance." He met her eyes, his expression serious. "I've seen it in battle Ma'am ... soldiers finding strength beyond what anyone would have expected, carrying a wounded comrade for miles, surviving injuries no one should survive ..."

"So you're saying that if we rank the strength of anyone's gene, it will in turn determine what they can do," Weir summarised thoughtfully.

"In some cases, yes," Lorne agreed. "Take the command chair for example. Doctor Beckett can activate it but he's uncomfortable with the fact that he can blow a hole in the city with a stray thought."

Elizabeth smiled fondly. "Yes, Carson _has _always exhibited reluctance to make use of his gene for anything beyond medical applications."

"He's strong ... he just doesn't want to be," Evan commented.

"You're right Major," Weir agreed. "We'll hold off on assigning resources to measuring gene strength. For now we'll continue to use the chair merely to identify anyone with latent natural ability."

"I'll continue to assist Doctor Darnell as well," Lorne said briskly. "I'll update you personally if we discover anything that goes against what we already know."

"Thank you Major," Elizabeth said, closing off their meeting.

* * *

"Hey Piper, Rob," Lorne smiled at the camera a week or so later, imagining Piper and her husband sitting in their home watching him. "I trust everything's going okay with you. And Shannon – I bet she's grown so much I wouldn't recognise her." His smile dropped at that but he pushed on – his own personal rule not to scrap and start again any time he sat down to record a message for back home. If he was going to censor himself there was no point in recording anything.

"So, anyway, I'm okay – I know you like me to get that out of the way up front, give you a reprieve from all that worrying you've probably been doing," he grinned again, knowing Piper would be giving him grief over being cavalier about his health and safety if they'd been talking in person. "We've had our fair share of ... situations ... but no permanent damage done. It's been quiet for a few weeks actually. Prue thinks -," he stopped abruptly. Sure, he'd mentioned Prue in passing shortly after meeting her, something about finally finding someone as good as Piper at putting him in his place – only nowhere near as nice. There'd been nothing to raise the flags with Piper in his manner then because he'd genuinely thought little more of Prue than what he'd said.

At that stage Prue had annoyed him more than anything else. Now though, now he'd had his lips on Prue's, now he'd had her body plastered against his and contemplated doing a hell of lot more than just kissing her ... mentioning her had been a mistake because Piper would _know _there was more to it.

"Damn," he muttered, looking back to the camera. "I could just delete this and start again but ... hell Piper - maybe you can give me some perspective, because I've completely lost mine."

He chuckled harshly, directing an intent glance to his long distance audience. "There's something there Piper – with Prue ... but I'm stuck in the 'just friends' zone. She told me outright that she doesn't want to get involved with anyone right now. I can respect that – I'm not convinced enough that pursing her wouldn't be a major mistake to try to change her mind, and there are rules that maybe apply as well – I haven't checked that out either." He smiled self deprecatingly. "It's not the first time I've asked – in a manner of speaking – and gotten knocked back. But here's the thing," he looked down at the floor for a moment before pressing on. "Getting anywhere near her is like being plugged into an energy source – I don't know how else to describe it. I can't avoid her Piper – because of the job and because of this insane friendship we've got going. I can pretend I'm not affected, but if this goes on indefinitely it's gonna drive me insane. So you know, if you have any advice on how the hell I'm supposed to handle this, I'm all ears."

Growling in frustration, Lorne leaned forward and hit the mouse button with unnecessary force, stopping the recording. When the message came up asking him if he wanted to save he hesitated for a moment and then clicked on No, slamming his laptop shut and just barely restraining himself from throwing the mouse against the nearest wall. Not only was Prue keeping him awake at night, now she had him breaking his own rules too.

He needed a break. His team had an off world mission the following day – one of the regularly scheduled trips they'd set up to help the communities they'd tried to forge ties with. Usually they stayed overnight – it was only a brief reprieve from having to deal with Prudence Darnell, but he'd take it.

* * *

Ducking behind the counter just before a spray of bullets hit the wall behind him, Lorne tapped his radio. "Stay at the Gate and wait for our backup," he ordered Doctor Lindsay grimly. Leaning out, he sent a burst of P-90 fire out the window to where their attackers were holding position. Whoever they were they'd caught Evan and his team by surprise, pinning them down inside the house before they'd even had a chance to get an accurate count on numbers. The only good news was that Doctor Lindsay had been downstairs when the first shots were fired and, on Lorne's orders, had managed to get away without being seen. She'd already radioed Atlantis and reported back to Evan that Colonel Sheppard's team was on the way. All they had to do was hold out until help arrived.

"We have you surrounded Major Lorne," a male voice called out. "It is only a matter of time before you run out of ammunition. Surrender now and I can make your captivity a more pleasing experience."

Lorne exchanged glances with Coughlin. "They know us ... that narrows down the field considerably."

"Genii," Nate suggested.

"That'd be my guess too," Evan agreed. "Unless we've made other enemies who've previously had access to our personnel records?"

"No, they'd be the only ones with enough knowledge to name names Sir," Coughlin replied. "And now they know Atlantis wasn't destroyed."

"We haven't exactly stayed at home since then," Lorne pointed out, "and enough people recognise us as coming from Atlantis to make that an impossible secret to keep in the long term." The mission where they'd met Teneo and his granddaughter was a case in point – there'd been no chance to decide one way or another to keep Atlantis a secret from them because Kara had recognised their origins immediately, making the decision for them.

"What are we going to do Sir?" Reed asked, looking ready to rush their attackers and attempt to shoot his way out of trouble.

"Conserve ammo until Colonel Sheppard gets here," Lorne returned. "How many clips you got left?"

Reed didn't have to check before answering. "One, Sir."

"Me too," Coughlin added.

"I've got two but ...," he grimaced, glancing back towards the windows.

"It's not gonna be enough," Nate finished.

"Time is running out Major Lorne," the guy who appeared to be in charge of their current predicament yelled. A hail of bullets hit the front of the building, sending stone chips flying.

In response, almost as one the three men returned fire, concentrating on where the bullets had come from.

Regrouping as the dust settled, Lorne frowned. "This isn't random," he muttered. "They want us for some reason. "

"You are quite correct Major." The complacent announcement was accompanied by the cocking of a rifle above their heads, sounding very loud in the sudden silence.

Lorne looked up to the balcony on the second floor, doing an instant head count. Four guys, all armed, all with the high ground, and all ready to shoot at the first sign of resistance.

They were screwed.

"Say nothing," Evan ordered Coughlin and Reed grimly before slowly getting to his feet, holding his P-90 out in one hand in a non threatening manner.

"Major Lorne I presume?" another man stepped forward into the light.

"That's right," Evan agreed. "And you are?"

"Ladon Radim," the man said, throwing a canister down to them.

Acrid smoke rose from the floor to surround them – Lorne tried to hold out as long as possible but eventually he had to breathe. In seconds the gas had overwhelmed him and he slumped back to the floor, unconscious.

* * *

Lorne came to with a groan. Wincing at the pounding in his head, he opened his eyes and slowly sat up. The floor seemed to spin under him and he was suddenly glad the attack had come _before_ they'd eaten dinner. "God," he muttered, squeezing his forehead as he looked around, swallowing down the nausea.

They were in a holding cell – large, lots of metal mesh that looked too tough for any of the tools he'd usually have on him. Glancing down at himself his confusion deepened. Instead of his own uniform Evan had been dressed in the Pegasus version of civvies. Patting a hand to his chest and not finding the usual impression of his dog tags sticking out, Lorne had a sick inkling of why that was.

There wasn't a lot of light in the cell, or in the larger space it was contained in. Lorne squinted at the shapes scattered around him. The relief was instantaneous when he saw Reed and Coughlin lying on the floor a few steps away – both similarly dressed in unfamiliar attire. Thankfully he'd left Jimmy back in the city, Doctor Lindsay taking the fourth place on the team. One less person he had to worry about.

Apart from his team there were another six guys in the cell, all stretched out on the floor unconscious – all members of Atlantis teams, all currently engaged in off world missions, as far as Atlantis was aware. Getting to his feet, Lorne swayed unsteadily – whatever the hell that gas had been it packed quite a punch. Steeling himself he moved to Coughlin first, checking for and finding a strong pulse. Giving his 2IC a sharp shake he was rewarded with a groan and enough movement to be sure that Nate would be awake soon. Moving to Reed next, Lorne did the same thing. When his men were fully awake they moved to sit on benches stretched out along one side of the cell.

"They took our gear and clothes," Nate commented in an undertone.

"I'm guessing whatever they want us for, part of it's about either convincing our people they've got us or placing us somewhere other than here."

"Someone's out there wearing our stuff, pretending to be us?" Reed looked insulted by that.

"That would be the logical conclusion," Lorne agreed.

"Does that mean what I think it means Sir?" Dan asked, dismayed.

"Yeah it does," Evan sighed. "Any smart kidnapper is gonna move his subjects somewhere else. When Colonel Sheppard works out that whoever's wearing our gear isn't us, they still won't know where to look. For the time being we're on our own."

"Well that sucks," Nate muttered.

* * *

The time passed slowly.

Lorne got updates from the other Atlantis teams, also caught unawares on previously friendly planets. They hadn't worked out why this Ladon Radim wanted them yet ... for that Evan really needed to talk to the man again himself.

He got that chance sooner than he'd hoped. When two guards came to the cell and pulled him roughly to his feet, Lorne shook his head at his men. They needed information, not useless and probably lethal heroics. Letting himself be dragged away with little resistance, Evan was taken to another room, this one smaller and without the jail cell. Instead there was a lab set up that looked like something out of Lorne's early science classes. At the central table sat the man Evan wanted to talk to.

"Sit down Major," Ladon said briskly.

"Why?" Lorne questioned with casual interest rather than arrogant distain.

"Because if you don't I'll return you to your cell and choose one of your men instead," Ladon replied with an amused smirk.

"Good reason," Evan took the offered seat, glancing around curiously. "You make all this yourself or buy it cheap at some geek's garage sale?"

"Raise your sleeve," Ladon ignored Lorne's taunts, preparing his tools with calm efficiency.

Evan hesitated for a moment, eyes moving to the two guards standing either side of the doorway before tracking back to where Radim waited patiently, a syringe in hand.

Silently, Lorne unbuttoned the unfamiliar shirt sleeve, folding it up with brisk purposefulness. Once his arm was bare to just above his elbow, Evan lowered in to the table in front of his host.

Ladon looked at him for a moment, wondering at the unflinching cooperation he was getting from Atlantis's military second in command.

"You looking to push us out of the city again?" Evan asked conversationally, giving no outward sign of pain when Radim inserted the needle and drew out a sample of Lorne's blood.

"I'm a scientist," Ladon said, focussed on the samples. "Just because I made the weapons doesn't mean I agree with how they were used."

"And yet here you are, taking without asking again," Evan shook his head. "I guess your mother never told you that you win more flies with honey than with vinegar."

"Do you and Colonel Sheppard set out deliberately to be obtuse?" Ladon looked annoyed now.

Lorne was satisfied that he getting to Radim, not to mention amused at being compared to his CO. "Nothing in it for me to be the honey," he said, watching as the other man prepared a Petri dish with a drop of his blood before adding another solution and watching the mix carefully. "You looking for something in particular?" Lorne queried, keeping it to casual interest.

"I think you know very well what I'm looking for Major," Ladon returned impatiently. "The Ancient gene."

"Oh – that," Evan nodded. "What makes you think I have it?"

"The information we took from your database was quite extensive," Ladon smiled with a touch of arrogant pride. "We have a full list of everyone possessing the gene, either naturally like yourself, or artificially through Doctor Beckett's treatment. Your mistake was in thinking your people are the only ones capable of scientific advances."

"You're trying to manufacture your own version of the artificial Ancient gene," Lorne concluded, his expression turning abruptly serious. The last thing the Pegasus galaxy needed was for the Genii to be running around activating anything Ancient they could get their hands on. What what he'd read, discretion was a word that hadn't made it into the Genii dictionary. "To what purpose?"

"Taking away your advantage is purpose enough Major," Ladon returned, "but as it happens I have another reason for levelling the playing field. Your people have tools that would help _my_ people greatly."

"The Puddle Jumpers and drones," Lorne laughed harshly. "You do realise you need more than the right gene to be able to fly something."

"Your people don't seem to have any trouble Major," Radim pointed out calmly.

"That's because we already have flight capability!" Lorne shook his head. "But hey, don't let me put a spanner in your works. It might cost us a Jumper but it'd be worth it to see you parking one nose down in the dirt."

"Nice try Major," Ladon seemed amused rather than insulted by Lorne's conclusions about Genii capability. Looking back to his experiment he grimaced.

"Results not to your liking?" Lorne queried with a deliberate smirk.

Rather than respond, Ladon cast a glance at his guards, nodding silently to where Evan sat. As one the two moved forward, dragging Lorne up.

It wasn't much of an opportunity but Lorne decided to take his chances anyway. Spinning, he took the two with him in a wide arc that had one slamming against the wall and then sliding to the floor unconscious. The other stumbled into Radim's table. Beakers shattered on the stone floor and equipment rattled. Reversing direction Evan shook the last guard loose, burying his fist in the man's gut before following up with a blow to the back of his head.

The click of a gun being cocked stopped him in his tracks.

"A foolish mistake Major," Ladon said calmly, weapon pointed at Lorne's head.

"Maybe," Lorne agreed, equally calmly. "You gonna shoot me now?"

"Eventually, yes," Radim seemed quite comfortable with planning Evan's death – clearly he wasn't the average geeky scientist. "When I've perfected my gene treatment and no longer require a direct source." Picking up a small walkie talkie like device he radioed for someone to come and escort Lorne back to his cell, keeping his weapon trained on Evan the whole time.

"Atlantis will send someone for us," Lorne said with certainty.

"I'm counting on it Major," Ladon replied smugly.

Eyes narrowed, Lorne looked at the Genii scientist assessingly. He wasn't sure what the man's plan was, but for certain it wasn't just about acquiring lab rats to fuel his gene research. Evan wanted to question Ladon further but the requested soldiers arrived and without another word being said Lorne was escorted back to the cell. One of them slammed the butt of his rifle into Evan's stomach before they threw him coughing and wheezing into the cell.

"_Sir_," Coughlin dropped down beside his CO, watching concerned as Lorne struggled to get his breath back.

"That hurt ... just a little," Evan quipped when he could finally speak again. Putting a hand to his stomach he winced, sitting up with a groan. The guards had retreated so Lorne quickly filled his men in on what he'd learned. Once done he looked at Coughlin intently. "Maybe he knows you don't have the gene Sergeant, and maybe he doesn't. Until we find out the real plan here you stay in the background. I don't want to give Radim the chance to decide you're surplus to his requirements."

"But -," Nate began to protest.

"Not this time Nate," Evan interrupted. "You'll follow my orders without embellishment. The next time the guards come to take one of us to Radim you'll make yourself as scarce as possible. Understood?"

"Yes Sir," Coughlin replied reluctantly.

"Don't worry Sergeant," Lorne slapped a hand to the other man's shoulder. "Once Colonel Sheppard gets here I'm sure there'll be plenty of chances for you to get your own back."

"You really think so Sir?" Nate asked with exaggerated hopefulness, earning a laugh from everyone.

* * *

They spent the night in that cell, nine men sleeping on a cold stone floor, hungry and thirsty after minimal rations since their capture. Lorne circled around the possible reasons for their capture, not so much sleeping as dozing lightly. It all came back to the gene and how the Genii could use the fact that they'd captured men from Atlantis who had it. Was it really plausible that a civilisation with knowledge only to the level of a Rodney McKay high school science project could conceivably recreate something it had taken Carson Beckett, a fully qualified geneticist, months to perfect?

When morning came he was convinced the answer should be 'No', which left a number of possibilities for why Ladon was going through the motions of pretending he could equal Carson's work. For whose benefit? Commander Cowan? Someone on the Genii home world they'd never met? Without knowing why, coming up with a plan to convince Radim to let them go would be tricky. But as the ranking officer it was up to Lorne to find a way to get all his men out – without relying on Atlantis finding them first.

As the sunlight touched the tops of the high windows he sighed, wondering what Prue was doing back on Atlantis. He was missing a scheduled practice session. She'd probably worry when he didn't show up – unless someone had already told her his team was missing. That would worry her too ... despite telling him she couldn't care about him, Evan was pretty sure she did, as much as she allowed herself to anyway.

"So, what's the plan Sir?" Coughlin moved to greet his CO.

"No idea Sergeant," Evan replied. "I'm still at the formulating stage. When I move beyond that you'll be the first to know."

"Yes Sir," Nate smirked, directing his gaze to where the guards stood outside the walls of their cage. "You think Atlantis knows we're here?"

"They know we're somewhere," Lorne watched as two new guards greeted the old ones, changing shifts. "I don't think we can count on them finding us before Radim decides we've outlived our usefulness."

"Which would be?" Coughlin asked.

"At this point your guess is as good as mine," Evan shot his second a quick look. "This isn't what it seems Sergeant," he said with certainty. "Remember to stay back when they come for one of us. The blood tests for the gene are a smoke screen for something, but I'm not willing to assume they won't take the act all the way to killing anyone who turns up without it."

"Yes Sir," Coughlin nodded. "I wonder what they're doing back on Atlantis?" he said in a low tone.

"Hopefully planning an impressive rescue mission," Lorne suggested, the two men smiling at the thought.

* * *

"So, you really thought we were dead Sir?" Lorne asked. Sheppard had arrived a hour before, not exactly in a Puddle Jumper with drones blazing, but his appearance alone was good enough. Even though the Colonel was now sharing their cell, knowing Atlantis had found them lifted everyone's spirits.

"I lifted your dog tags off a burned to a crisp body myself Lorne, so yeah, we thought you were dead," John retorted.

"Sorry Sir," Evan returned, shooting his CO a look before returning his gaze to what was going on outside their cell. "Did ah ... was that common knowledge?"

"We hadn't planned your memorial service or anything but you know the Atlantis grapevine Major," Sheppard said. "News gets around."

"Right, of course," Lorne nodded, frowning. That meant -.

"I told her myself Evan," Sheppard offered casually.

"Told who Sir?" Evan hoped like hell he hadn't been that obvious about his feelings for Prue, but those hopes were dashed when John replied.

"Doctor Darnell," the accompanying look he gave Lorne shouting 'pul-lease, like you didn't know who I was talking about!'

"How'd she take it?"

"How do you _think_?" Sheppard asked incredulously. "I don't get all nervous and giddy when you're around Major and I was angry as hell and ready to ram my fist down the throat of anyone who looked like they'd had a hand in your demise." He shot Lorne a curious look before continuing. "She was understandably upset and pretty adamant I had it wrong. In fact she told me there was no way you could possibly be dead and then stalked away. You're gonna have to talk to her when we get back."

"You're not warning me off of getting romantically involved with one of the staff Sir?" Lorne asked, genuinely surprised.

"_Are _you romantically involved with Doctor Darnell, Major?" John queried.

"Ah ... not exactly," Lorne said, adding with a burst of honesty, "but I want to be. Is that a problem Sir?"

"Not for me," Sheppard grinned suddenly. "You might want to rethink your strategy though – Doctor Darnell doesn't strike me as the cooperative type."

Lorne laughed. "No, cooperative isn't the word I'd choose either."

"Look Evan ... the regs don't apply. She's a civilian contractor appointed with I.O.A approval – you can't influence her career," Sheppard looked at Lorne intently. "You could be accused of favouritism though so we'll play it safe. Tell her to send any requests she'd normally make to you directly to me from now on."

"Not that I don't appreciate the support Sir, but it's a little premature," Evan admitted. It pained him to have to explain but given his CO's willingness to help, he really had no other choice. "Ah ... she turned me down Sir – flat out refused to consider any kind of relationship. I don't see her changing her mind."

"Then look again," John ran a hand through his hair, adding additional spiky messiness to what was already there. "I'm not telling you what to do Evan ... and for God's sake don't start talking relationships in the office or I'll have to demote you out of earshot. Just ... if you decide on not taking no for an answer, it won't be a court marshal-able offence, okay?"

"Thank you Sir," Lorne kept a straight face, actually kind of touched that Colonel Sheppard had put aside a natural reticence to talk about personal stuff to reassure him. He'd never been friends with a commanding officer before ... that he'd managed to form a friendship with John Sheppard was just another one of the unique bonuses of being posted on Atlantis.

* * *

Walking through the gate back onto Atlantis Lorne felt the 'welcome home' rush of static – it had only been a couple of days but clearly that was enough for the systems to notice his absence and rejoice in his return. When Ladon Radim's true plan had been revealed Evan couldn't help but be a little impressed, even though he and his men had been unwitting pawns in a complex political game. Ladon had overthrown a guy everyone on Atlantis would cheer to see the back of, taken over as ruler of the Genii, _and _forged the basis for a new alliance with Atlantis, all with very little bloodshed. It was clever and troubling – Ladon Radim was a man they'd have to keep an eye on in the future.

Evan felt her eyes on him the instance he finished greeting a relieved Doctor Weir. Turning, blue eyes met brown, Lorne freezing as he registered a host of impressions from Prue. She looked pale, nervous, troubled. In fact she looked a lot more upset than he'd ever seen her and his return obviously wasn't helping.

He smiled then, at her – _for_ her – but instead of giving him a smile in return, Prue took a shuddering breath, pressing her trembling lips together. And then she turned and ran – there was no other word for it – she didn't just hurry off, she broke into an almost sprint as soon as she cleared the Gateroom floor. Evan was so surprised at her reaction that she'd disappeared down the corridor before he thought to follow her.

"Major?" Colonel Sheppard moved to stand beside Lorne, Ladon Radim at his side.

"Sir," Evan kept his eyes on the spot where Prue had disappeared before turning to his CO. He wanted to talk to Sheppard, wanted to find out what exactly Radim had been doing with the blood samples he'd taken from Evan. An assurance that their new treaty included destroying those samples wouldn't go astray either. But he wanted to talk to Prue more. "If you'll excuse me Sir, ..." he trailed off, barely waiting for John's nod before he took off down that same corridor.

* * *

She should have been hard to locate – Atlantis was a big place – but somehow Lorne knew where to look, finding Prue sitting on the edge of the dock at the end of the south west pier. They'd walked there a few times when the weather was nice and Prue had commented that she found it calming.

She was watching the waves below and didn't acknowledge him when he sat down beside her.

"You okay?" he asked quietly.

"Why wouldn't I be?" she asked dismissively, still refusing to look directly at him. "I'm not the one who was brought back to the city in a body bag."

"Neither am I," Lorne reminded her.

"As far as I knew you _were_," Prue's voice trembled a little on that last word.

"Prue," he waited but she kept her face turned away. "Prue," he said again, shifting to cup her cheek as he gently raised her eyes to his. The brown depths were swimming in tears and she looked miserable. "I'm okay," Evan said firmly.

"I know," she whispered. "I just ... Colonel Sheppard told me you ... I was _sure _you couldn't be gone but at the same time part of me really thought you were dead."

"I'm sorry," Lorne leaned down until his forehead rested on hers. "I'm really sorry Prue."

Prue shuddered, the look in her eyes shifting from misery to something that made Evan's heart rate increase abruptly. They were close enough that it only took a little shift. One moment she was gazing into his eyes, the next she was kissing him with enough heat to melt a polar ice cap or two.

He didn't think about their agreement to be 'just friends', didn't worry that she'd try to rewind this kiss like she had the others. No – after weeks of frustrated desire, Evan just kissed her back, shifting his hand from her cheek to cup the back of her neck.

Prue wrapped her arms around him, holding on tightly. The position wasn't ideal – they were still sitting on the pier, legs still dangling over the edge. It didn't leave room for him to do what he really wanted ... to pull her closer and just consume her ... but maybe that was a _good _thing. He felt like he was on the cusp of a precipice he wasn't ready to see the bottom of.

"You were right," Prue broke away, burying her face against his neck, her breath sending shivers down his spine.

"Not that I don't like the sound of that, but I was right about what?" Lorne pressed his lips into her hair, breathing in her scent.

"I can't ignore this," Prue admitted, looking up at him earnestly. "If you still want to try ...," she trailed off uncertainly. The way she looked right then, the setting sun casting a halo over her dark hair, her eyes shiny with tears that spoke of longing and desire, was an image Evan didn't think he'd ever forget. He was sure, years into the future, that he'd be able to close his eyes and bring the moment to life as though it had just happened.

"Thank God for that," he muttered, leaning down to kiss her again.

**Authors Note:**

Apologies for the two week delay - I haven't completed writing yet (this story is getting huge!) but I'm confident now that I won't make any glaring blunders I'll have to take back. Coup d'etat is one of my favourite episodes - Lorne standing in that cell next to Sheppard is just classic - so I hope I did it justice.

I'm still more focussed on writing than I am on posting but if I get enough demand I'll try to post a second chapter this week. Thanks for reading!


	22. Foundations

**Chapter 22: Foundations**

Kissing Prue when it was a stolen moment Evan knew wasn't going to last had been intense, but it paled in comparison to their exchange after she caved and agreed they could finally move on from the friendship zone.

He lost his head a little, there on the dock with Prue in his arms. If the wind hadn't suddenly turned cold, raising goose bumps and a harsh shiver from Prue, who knows how far he'd have taken it.

Breaking away reluctantly, he rested his forehead against hers for a moment and then smiled. "Come on – let's get you inside."

Prue nodded, taking his hand and letting him draw her to her feet. They walked the halls of Atlantis together, her hand in his, oblivious to any reactions the sudden change in their relationship might have drawn.

Evan's mind was racing – on the one hand he wanted nothing more than to be invited into her quarters to continue what they'd started on the dock ... all the way to its inevitable conclusion. It surprised him to feel some hesitation though ... not because he didn't want Prue because, hell, he did! But he wanted other things more, and that was a surprise even to him.

Unexpected or not, by the time he'd walked them to Prue's quarters, Lorne had decided he wanted to take it slow. In fact, he was determined to do so. If they were going to be together in the longer term, and he wanted to believe they were, then there was no hurry to consummate their new relationship. In fact, rushing into a physical commitment before they'd enjoyed the fact that they were 'together' would just skip over a whole host of steps he suddenly wanted to enjoy.

Maybe he didn't want to cloud his thinking with what he knew would be mind blowing sex ... maybe he was worried Prue would pull the 'it's just a physical thing' card in the future if he couldn't prove to her it was more than that, up front, _before_ they took things that far. She'd agreed to try them as a couple but never labelled anything with emotions – and maybe it was corny but Evan wanted the mental commitment from her _more_ than he wanted the physical one. He'd been burned in the past ... "_not the time to go there_," he told himself ... at the end of the day he just didn't want to treat this, treat _Prue_, like he had any other relationship he'd had in the past. She was different ... and he wanted to be different with her.

When they got to her room, Prue turned to him, keeping hold of his hand. "Are you ...," she nodded to her door. It was late and the corridor was deserted ... giving him the feeling that they could have been the only two people in the city.

"Coming inside?" Lorne finished. "I don't think that's a good idea."

"Why not?" she asked, surprised.

"Come on Prue," he challenged. "You've really gone from not wanting to get involved to this," he gestured meaningfully between them, "so quickly?"

"I – yes I have," she said decisively.

"Well, maybe you can switch gears that quickly but I can't," Evan said gently. Taking both her hands in his, he met her eyes, let her see his resolve. "We both know where this is going but ... I want to wait."

"_Wait_?" Prue repeated the word like she'd never heard it before. "For what?" she asked, looking more worried than touched by his statement.

"Are you in some kind of hurry here?" Evan countered. "Got somewhere else you need to be?"

"Of course not," Prue retorted. "I just ... it's not my usual practice to throw myself at someone like I just did with you. I wouldn't have done that unless I thought you felt the same way."

"Oh, believe me, I do," Evan pulled her in and kissed her breathless to prove that point. "I just think we should get to know each other a little more, enjoying being together, before we take the next step. Okay?"

Her expression turned thoughtful, puzzled, as she looked up at him. "Okay," she agreed quietly.

"Thank you," Evan smiled, touching his lips to hers lightly in acknowledgement. "Now, I better let you get inside before someone comes by and we really give the city something to gossip about."

Prue laughed. "Surely everyone has more important things to talk about than our relationship."

"You know, you should really get out of your lab sometimes, walk amongst the common people," Evan teased. "Not everyone is as focussed on their work as you are."

"Is it a problem if there's gossip?" instead of reacting to his teasing, Prue looked worried again.

"Not for me," Evan said firmly. "You?"

"Since I didn't even know people were talking until you just said it, no, it won't bother me," Prue smiled. Putting her arms around his neck she pulled him down. "Since you're leaving, I'm going to need another kiss to tide me over."

"Is that right?" Evan smiled, even as he let her pull him all the way back to her lips. It was a different kiss – not light or teasing but not heated passion either. It was a connection, and a promise of more to come in the future.

"Good night," Prue said breathlessly, breaking away.

"Night," Evan returned, waiting until she'd disappeared inside before he walked away. "_This is going to take some getting used to_," he thought, more than happy to have the chance to make the effort.

* * *

That conversation set the tone for the weeks that followed. Apart from dinner dates most nights that ended at her door with the exchange of increasingly heated kisses, their relationship didn't change a great deal.

New relationships were interesting – no one even blinked when the changes between Lorne and Prue became obvious. They went from friends to a couple with barely a comment. Coughlin nodded approvingly the first time Evan walked to a team meal with his arm around Prue's shoulder, and had Prue blushing when he commented that Lorne couldn't have done better. Colonel Sheppard made a vague reference to new strategies having been effective. Radek expressed some admiration for Prue's intellect and knowledge of Ancient, and McKay didn't notice a thing. Lorne wasn't sure if anyone else had thoughts about his romantic relationship with a civilian but no one said anything, so he chose to go down the ignorance is bliss road. He was happy and determined to enjoy it.

Prue never mentioned her emotions and Lorne didn't ask. For himself, he was carefully not labelling anything as "_anything"_ either, although phrases like 'never felt this way before' along with the knowledge that what he'd thought was love before couldn't have been because those emotions paled in comparison to what he felt now, often slid through his mind. He was down for the count but unwilling to concede defeat before Prue did.

* * *

"Lorne," Colonel Sheppard broke into a half jog, catching up with his second in command as the other man stepped into the transporter. Evan pressed the location where both their offices were situated, John waiting until they'd stepped out again before speaking. "Got a request from the I.O.A for someone to go to the SGC," he began. "They want a briefing on the Puddle Jumpers."

"Didn't you do that when you were there last time Sir?" Evan asked quizzically.

"Yeah – they want more," John replied. "Probably got some grand plan to reengineer a fleet for Earth."

"Probably," Lorne agreed. "Who are you looking at to go?"

"_You_ Major," Sheppard said, smirking when Lorne's brow shot up in surprise. "You've been here more than nine months without a break – have you even taken a day off since you got here?"

"Have _you_ Sir?" Evan already knew the answer to that question was a no.

"Touché," John glanced at Lorne curiously. "If you don't want a free trip home I can find another Jumper pilot to go instead ... none with your potential to confuse the I.O.A with technical crap they won't admit to not understanding though."

Evan laughed at that – the I.O.A were enough of a thorn in the Colonel's side that any chance to get his own back, no matter how small, was jumped on immediately.

"So, you interested?" Sheppard asked.

"Do I look stupid to you Sir?" Lorne replied.

"Excellent," John said with satisfaction. "Just make sure you give them the works – aerodynamics, specs, neural interface, and anything Ancienty that won't give away something tactically useful."

"_Ancienty_ Sir?" Lorne queried. "Is that even a word?"

"It is today," Sheppard chuckled.

"I'll take care of it," Lorne promised. "When do they want this briefing?"

"Day after tomorrow – you've been given permission to gate in when we do the regular check in."

Lorne nodded, already thinking about the various things he'd have to delegate or reschedule. They'd arrived at Lorne's office by then and Evan moved to sit down at his desk, frowning when he realised John was still hovering in the doorway. "Was there something else Sir?" he asked.

"The Daedalus isn't scheduled to depart Earth for a few days after you get there," Sheppard said. "Take some time off Major, go see your family ... that's an order."

"Yes Sir. Thank you Sir," Evan smiled gratefully.

"And listen, if I was to get a request from Doctor Darnell for leave and it just happened to coincide with yours, it would probably be approved." Sheppard shifted awkwardly from one foot to the other as Lorne looked up, speechless. "In case you were thinking along those lines. All up you'll be gone for almost four weeks so I thought maybe you would be ...," he trailed off with a shrug.

"Ah ... that's ...," Evan cleared his throat, "that's very generous Sir. I'll mention it to Prue."

"You do that Major," Sheppard shrugged. "Let me know what you decide. Now, if you'll excuse me I have paperwork to finish."

"Really Sir?" Lorne said sceptically. "_You_ have paperwork?"

"I don't pass it all on to you Major," John said defensively, "but as it happens, no, not really. You can tell Elizabeth I do when she comes looking for me though."

"What are you avoiding this time Sir?" Lorne asked, amused.

"Year-end employee reviews," Sheppard replied with a shudder. "They aren't due for a few weeks but she's already talking deadlines, after telling me point blank that I can't just pass them on to you to do. Which makes no sense by the way. You probably know most of our people better than I do!"

"The burdens of command Sir," Lorne intoned blandly. "I'd be happy to discuss each staff member with you before you fill out their review, if that'll help?"

"It would, and better than that, Elizabeth won't be able to protest," John grinned. "Nice!"

"Glad I could help Sir," Evan returned, shaking his head when his commanding officer almost bounced out of his office, Lorne would guess on his way to subtly let Doctor Weir know of his new plan. It wasn't the first time Lorne had noticed that underneath it all John was often times just a big kid at heart.

* * *

Evan went to Prue's lab at the end of his shift to talk to her about his leave. In the few weeks they'd been 'going out' a natural routine emerged that included him stopping by at the end of the day. Lorne liked Prue's lab ... because it was hers alone - a visual slice of that side of her and she often had that 'scientist' air of distraction about her that he found rather endearing. Usually he had to encourage her to put aside her work to go and eat with him – Jennifer hadn't been wrong in labelling Prudence as a workaholic.

Lorne actually felt a little nervous approaching her lab now – in effect he was going to ask her to come home with him and meet his family, and that was a big step in any relationship, let alone one as new as theirs. He hadn't missed the vague comment here and there that suggested Prue had issues with Earth but he was hoping they wouldn't extend to going back with him.

"Hey." He smiled when she looked up, a surge of happiness at seeing him evident in her expression.

"Evan," she frowned suddenly, looking at her watch. "Wow, where did _that_ time go?" she murmured.

"Where all your time goes, on deciphering tiny, squiggly lines," Evan teased. Walking to her side he put a hand on her shoulder, squeezing gently. That zinging leap of excitement when they touched was still there, expected now but still new, and he wondered if it would always be that way. Usually they'd head straight for the mess hall but today he leaned down to kiss her before motioning for her to stay seated. "I had something I wanted to talk to you about before we eat."

"What is it?" Prue asked, frowning at his uncharacteristic seriousness.

"Okay, so Colonel Sheppard came to see me today," Evan began. "He needs someone to brief the I.O.A back at the SGC – and he wants me to do it."

"When do you leave?" Prue's face was blank.

"Day after tomorrow," Lorne replied. "Listen, the Colonel wanted me to offer you leave as well."

"What?" Prue stood abruptly, staring at him in dismay.

"Leave, back on Earth, with me," Evan reiterated, getting up too. "If you want it."

"I don't," she said bluntly. "But please, thank Colonel Sheppard for me when you decline his offer." Stepping around him she retook her seat, fingers flying over the keyboard.

"That's it?" Evan demanded. "Thanks but no thanks?"

"My work is at a crucial stage," Prue said defensively, "and there's nothing for me back on Earth."

"Except for me," Evan turned away, hands on his hips, trying not to make an erroneous conclusion. "You should have said there's nothing for you on Earth _aside from me_."

"Don't do that!" Prue jumped up, grabbing his forearm and pulling him around to face her. "Don't take this personally ... please. I just ... I can't go back to Earth, Evan. Please try to understand."

"I would if you'd cut the mysterious act and just tell me what'd behind all this!" Evan retorted. "Because this isn't the first time you've said something that frankly sounds more than a little ominous! Are you in trouble back on Earth Prue? Is that why you use words like "_can't" _instead of "won't"?"

"I'm not in trouble," Prue insisted, resting her palms flat on his chest. "But I need to be here ... we _need_ this translation program."

"For _what_?" Evan covered her hands with his, squeezing them insistently.

"For the future!" Prue pulled on her hands but he didn't let go. With a shudder she shifted forward, dropping her head to rest against him. "I know this sounds insane and ... I have things I can't tell you, not yet. You have to trust me in this Evan ... something is coming and you have to be ready ... and I have to _help_ you be ready."

"You're not making any sense Prue," Evan shook his head, resting a hand over her hair. "Okay, listen, I'll tell Colonel Sheppard I can't go -,"

"No!" Prue looked up abruptly. "_No_. You have to do your job Evan. Trust me ... everything will be fine here while you're away. _Go_, see your family. I'll be okay – I promise."

Evan hesitated, his eyes locked to hers. He didn't want to give in. In fact he wanted to keep arguing until she told him every thought in her head, until he'd convinced her to trust him enough to offload whatever it was she was carrying around. But he knew Prue ... she was stubborn and when she dug her heels in no amount of pushing would get her to back down. It would have the opposite effect, sending her retreating into a silence he wouldn't break. He'd have to bide his time, look for something to break down her defences so she'd have no choice but to tell him her secrets.

"Fine," he finally told her grimly. "But just so you know ... I'm pissed about this Prue. When I get back we'll be talking about it again."

"How long?" Prue's lips quivered and she pressed them together, that stubbornness there in spades.

"How long will I be gone?" Evan finished. "Four weeks, give or take a couple of days."

"Oh," Prue looked dismayed.

"Eighteen days coming back on the Daedalus. I'm lucky they're letting me gate in, otherwise it'd be nearly twice that."

"I thought maybe you'd get to gate back as well," Prue admitted.

"Sadly I'm nowhere near important enough to warrant use of the Antarctic ZPM," Evan said ruefully.

"You are to me," she said starkly.

Their eyes locked and everything seemed to stop, allowing Evan time to read the emotions in her eyes. She meant it – right then he was the most important thing in the world to her, but it made her unhappy because she didn't want to depend on anyone, not even him.

"So what you're saying is you'll miss me ... during the five minutes or so you won't be hunched over that console while I'm gone," he quipped, teasing in an effort to lighten the mood.

"Something like that," Prue laughed. "You could kiss me Major – that might make me feel better."

"Let's see," Evan cupped her face and lowered his lips to hers, drinking her in. He kept it light, teasing her with feathery caresses that never settled fully. "How's that?"

"More," she demanded, threading her fingers through his hair and pulling him down. Where he'd been teasing she was purposeful, nipping at his bottom lip until he opened for her and then taking him over with a kiss that could only be described as carnal.

She pressed her curves to him too, so that every time she shifted or surged forward while their mouths mated, the 'right' parts of her brushed against the right parts of him. He felt a wave of heat sweep over him and it took everything he had to slowly bring it back down from almost boiling over to slow simmer.

"Oh, don't tell me you're -," Prue protested, grabbing his shirt in her fists and jerking him forward impatiently.

"Taking a raincheck," Evan got in before she could put another, less attractive label on his withdrawal. "Yeah, I am. I'm gone for a month after tomorrow and there is _no_ way I'll be able to concentrate if I'm thinking about what it's like to have you."

"You mean you won't be thinking about it anyway?" Prue looked momentarily insulted and he laughed.

"Hell yes," he agreed. "Anticipation is one thing Prue. _Knowing_ is something else entirely. Besides," he leaned down until his mouth was beside her ear, "when we finally do the deed, once won't be enough," he whispered. "Days might not be enough."

She shivered as his breath skimmed her neck even as she laughed. "_Do the deed_? That's what you're calling it?"

"For now," Evan looked at her intently. "I'd have called it 'making love' but I don't want to scare you."

She gulped, blinking up at him mutely.

"I can see that was a wise decision," he added blandly. Taking advantage of her momentary speechlessness he gave her a hard kiss and then stepped back. "I need to talk to Colonel Sheppard so I'll catch up with you later, okay?"

She nodded, pressing a hand to her lips, standing frozen in place while he walked away.

* * *

"Colonel, can I talk to you?" Lorne stood beside team Sheppard's table, holding himself stiffly in place. "In private," he added, not looking at his CO's companions.

"Sure," John got up, nodding towards the empty balcony. "That good enough?" he asked.

"Yes Sir," Evan agreed, not saying anything else until they were there and the door closed.

"What can I do for you Major?" Sheppard asked.

"Two things Sir," Lorne said briskly. "One – I spoke to Prue and she declined your offer for leave at this time. Told me to tell you thanks."

"Is that a problem for you?" John watched his second carefully, looking for a real reaction amidst the man's usual in control facade.

"Right now, no Sir," Lorne returned sincerely. "Ask me the same thing if we were a few months down the track and I'd be giving a different answer."

Sheppard nodded. "And the second thing?"

"A favour Sir," Evan let John see his worry as he continued. "I'd really appreciate it if you could keep an eye on Prue while I'm away. Maybe have Teyla look in on her now and then. I don't have anything concrete to base it on but I'm ... I'm concerned Sir."

"You think something might happen while you're gone?" Sheppard queried, frowning.

"Not exactly," Lorne shook his head. "Like I said, there's no real reason for me to be worried."

"But you'd feel better if you knew someone was looking out for Prue," John concluded.

"Yes Sir," Evan agreed.

"Then consider it done," John promised.

"Thank you Sir," Lorne relaxed, dropping the tense posture he hadn't realised he'd been holding. "I'll let you get back to your dinner." Dipping his head briskly, Evan turned and quickly left the balcony, leaving a bemused Colonel frowning after him.

* * *

The Stargate was active regularly enough that any individual departure or arrival usually garnered no special attention. Lorne didn't want to count on that, given he was going back to Earth which _wasn't_ a regular thing, so he told Prue goodbye the evening before he left. He had a very early departure to maximise his day at the SGC – there was no reason why both of them had to miss sleep.

The control room was still on minimal, night shift staffing when Evan strode in, his pack over his back. "Dial it up," he told Chuck, on duty in the place of the usual night guy so he could send through the weekly transmission early.

"Yes Sir," Chuck started punching in the familiar address. The burst of not water shot out of the gate a few moments later, the technician sending through the IDC for Atlantis and getting a quick confirmation back.

"General Landry, I have Major Lorne here Sir."

"Ready to come pay us a visit Major?" General Landry asked.

"Yes Sir," Lorne replied briskly.

"The doors open, come on through," Landry said.

"Send the transmission," Lorne told Chuck before jogging lightly down the stairs to the Gateroom floor.

"Evan!" Prue's voice had him turning, just in time to catch her when she launched herself in to hug him. "Be careful," she said, squeezing him tight.

"It's Earth Prue," Lorne replied, smiling in bemusement. They didn't avoid public displays of affection but a hand hold or an arm around a shoulder was subtle – a public farewell in the gate room wasn't. Internally it amused him to realise that he kind of liked it. "I'll be fine."

"It's the SGC," Prue reminded him. "And weren't you the one who said there's no such thing as one hundred percent safe."

"I thought it was obvious I meant when it comes to _you_," Evan smirked. "I can take care of myself."

"That list of injuries Nate gave me says otherwise," she said pointedly.

"I knew it was a mistake to let you spend so much time with my team," he shook his head in dismay but a smile played across his lips.

"The transmission has gone through Major," Chuck interrupted them apologetically. "They're expecting you."

"Sure, of course," Evan glanced down at Prue and then around the still mostly deserted room, before grinning. "What the hell," he muttered, pulling her in and kissing her senseless. She was off balance and still swaying slightly when he pulled away and left her standing there, passing briskly through the wormhole.

"Welcome home Major," General Landry greeted him.

"Good to be back Sir."

**Authors Note:**

Thank you to everyone who reviewed the last chapter - I _will _get to replies soon. Hope you like this new chapter! More coming Monday - hopefully I'll have finished writing the whole story by then. Apologies up front for any little errors that have escaped me - it's really late here (or early depending on your point of view). Cheers!


	23. Maybe it's not so good to be Ancient

**Chapter 23: Maybe it's not so good to be Ancient after all!**

Lorne had his I.O.A briefing a couple of hours after his arrival, giving him just enough time for a quick breakfast – although, given it was after ten at the SGC he really should be calling it brunch.

"There he is," Daniel Jackson threw himself into the chair across from Lorne. "How's Atlantis Evan?"

"You should come to Pegasus, see for yourself," Lorne replied casually.

"Do me a favour, tell Jack that," Daniel said feelingly.

"Even if he were here for me to speak to, do you think he'd listen to me?" Evan laughed. "You're his favourite archaeologist, remember?"

"Right, good point," Daniel sighed. "So, how are things really going there?"

"We have our share of situations but overall I'd say pretty well," Lorne replied, leaning back in his chair. "The Wraith have been quiet lately – makes you wonder what they might be cooking up next." He sighed, turning his attention away from Atlantis and back to home. "The conflict with the Ori?"

"Could be better," Daniel said in that way of his. "Listen, I've been meaning to send you a message ... about what happened to SG-6. I know they were your team before you left. I'm sorry Evan – Colonel Barnes was a good man."

"He was," Lorne agreed simply, not trying to hide the fact that the fate of his prior team saddened him.

"I know it's no consolation to you but it could have turned out a lot worse," Daniel offered. "We were looking at a global epidemic – billions potentially dead within days. Orlin used what he learned from the first cases to work on the vaccine. We've already delivered it to the planets that need it most. That's an attack they can't hit us with again."

"Colonel Barnes would have found that satisfying," Evan agreed.

Daniel nodded, swirling his coffee slowly before taking a drink.

"Oh, hey, I've been working with someone you'd know – Doctor Prudence Darnell," Lorne tried to say Prue's name as casually as possible, interested in getting Daniel's impressions before admitting to a deeper relationship. It wasn't that he didn't believe Prue when she'd said she didn't have troubles back on Earth ... but that didn't mean whatever she was worried about didn't have its origins at the SGC.

"Darnell?" Daniel sounded the name carefully. "Doesn't ring a bell."

"It _doesn't_?" Lorne failed to completely hide his reaction.

"Sorry, no," Daniel squinted as he realised Evan was more than a little surprised. "What does she do?"

"Computational linguistics," Lorne replied. "She's working on the translation programs for Ancient and Wraith - concentrating exclusively on the Ancient one so far."

"I know of the project," Daniel nodded. "To be honest I'm still sceptical that it will deliver a viable result – given the differing dialects and the considerable shifts in the language over millennia."

"You sound like Prue," Lorne shrugged. "It's slow going – because of what you said, but she's pretty determined."

"What was she working on before she went to Pegasus?" Daniel asked curiously.

"No idea, beyond her mentioning that she spent a long time working at the outpost in Antarctica," Lorne offered, "apart from one mission to Colonel Maybourne's planet."

"Oh, well that would explain it," Daniel pushed his glasses back up the bridge of his nose, blinking a few times. "I spent very little time at the Ancient outpost – short research trips mostly. I met very few of the personnel there. My job was just to find Atlantis – once that was done Jack recalled me back to the SGC." He looked at Lorne earnestly. "Sorry I can't say I know your friend Evan."

"No problem," Lorne was unreasonably relieved to have a plausible reason for Daniel not recalling having met Prue. "Half the time I still wonder if there are people living on Atlantis I haven't met."

"Not to mention all the sections you haven't explored yet," Daniel added. "Who knows what treasures you might uncover when you do?" His tone was wistful, his eyes distant, like he was looking at something only he could see.

"You really need to get General O'Neill to let you visit Daniel," Evan reiterated.

"I will – when the Ori are no longer a threat," Daniel promised.

"Yeah, well don't leave it too long or we'll have found all the treasure without you."

"Maybe you could mention that to Jack too," Daniel suggested, semi sarcastic.

Lorne laughed. "I will, next time I get invited to the Pentagon."

"Speaking of Maybourne," Daniel began.

"Were we?" Lorne asked mildly.

"We're going back to P88-013 in a couple of days – Harry has something he wants me to look at," Daniel continued. "You should come along."

"Why? Because I have such fond memories of the place?" Lorne asked sarcastically.

"Hey, nothing blew up," Daniel returned. "For us that's a good day. So, what do you say?"

"Sure, if I get called back early I'll tag along."

* * *

"Thank you Major Lorne," Gordon Rivers, the US representative and current head of the I.O.A said when Lorne concluded his presentation. "I must admit to being surprised at the many details you covered. I was under the impression that'd we'd requested someone strictly military to brief us, but you sounded more scientist than soldier."

"I _am_ military Mr Rivers," Evan returned complacently. "Puddle Jumper technology is a complex area that covers both Ancient neural systems and well as standard avionics. I was told you required a full briefing ... I ah ... simplified it as much as possible."

"Of course Major," the IOA representative from China, Shen Xiaoyi, responded, amusement at Lorne's veiled insult to Rivers' intelligence evident in her eyes. "We appreciate your expertise as a pilot as well as someone born with the ATA gene. Could you tell us a little bit more about how the gene works?"

"That's not my area of expertise. I'm a pilot and geologist Ma'am, not a geneticist," Lorne pointed out. "If you want to know how the ancient gene works you should talk to Doctor Beckett."

"But you use the gene, do you not?" Ms Shen persisted. "Can you tell us about that?"

"Not much to tell," Lorne admitted with a casual shrug. "The Ancient's programmed their systems to recognise the presence of the gene. Take opening a door as an example. All we do is activate the access pad and think open - the city does the rest."

"And this works for natural and artificial gene holders alike?" Rivers asked.

"As far as we can tell, there's little difference," Lorne confirmed. "Some things respond a little better to a natural gene but we don't really know why."

"Again, thank you Major Lorne," Ms Shen said formally. "We understand that you'll remain on Earth for the next several days. Perhaps we can meet again later in the week to discuss any further questions we might have?"

"Sure, of course," Lorne agreed, knowing the drill. They'd get their experts to dissect his presentation and then come back at him with intelligent sounding questions that would just result in him repeating everything he'd already explained. That was the way the game was played though and Evan knew to play along.

* * *

Official duty done, Lorne was dismissed from active duty for a few days leave. Colonel Caldwell was more than happy to beam Even wherever he wanted to go – given they were in orbit anyway, and it hardly made sense for Evan to waste the time he had on travelling across the country. Maybe Caldwell wouldn't have been that amenable to everyone from Atlantis – Rodney McKay for example – but Lorne was well liked in both galaxies.

He picked Canada first. Short movies of Jon and Matt just weren't enough and he felt the need to see how much the two boys had really changed. Maybe he should have rung first but the idea of Elaine opening the door and seeing him standing there was too attractive to pass up.

"Evan?" She looked at him incredulously. "Oh my God! Evan!" Launching herself at him with a tearful laugh, Elaine wrapped him in an overly enthusiastic hug that had him staggering back.

"Lainee," he squeezed her tight, lifting her off the ground. "God I missed you."

"Let me look at you," Elaine stepped back but kept hold of her brother's hands, her eyes assessing him carefully. "You look older."

"Hey," he protested, pulling his hands away. "I can still turn around and go to Mom's instead."

"Not in a bad way," Elaine smiled fondly. "You just look, I don't know, more responsible. Serious. Not that you weren't before."

"I get it," Evan took his own turn at looking is sister over, noticing the paint specks on her face and in her hair. "You, on the other hand, look like you've been playing all morning."

"That's because I have," Elaine grabbed his hand suddenly, pulling him with her. "Oh gosh, the boys will be so excited to see you! Jon, Matty," she called out as she dragged Evan down the front hall.

The sounds of young feet slapping on the floor preceded the arrival of two little boys, one steady on his feet, the other stumbling but just as quickly righting himself.

"Uncle Evan!" Jon yelled Evan's name – loudly - not bothering to slow down even a little before he ploughed into his uncle's legs. Matt was a little less coordinated, and a lot less understandable in his babble – he didn't remember Evan from personal contact but still knew who was visiting, picking up on his older brother's excitement.

Lorne found himself quickly inundated, each boy clutching a leg, both talking at once. He didn't mind a bit – gently grabbing a hold of an arm each, he muscled Jon and Matty up until he had them clutched against his chest, one in each arm.

"Who are these little rascals?" he growled, burying his head in their tummies amidst infectious peals of laughter.

"It's us Uncle Evan!" Jon crowed. "Jon and Matty. Is you on an ad-ven-ture?" he said the last word carefully, looking at his mother for an approving nod that was promptly delivered with a smile.

"I'm not ... unless _you_ have an adventure you need some help with?" Evan looked at his nephew expectantly.

"Do I!" Jon wriggled until Evan put him down and then grabbed his uncle's hand, pulling him insistently. "Come on Uncle Evan. I'll show you!"

Lorne glanced over at his sister, brow raised.

"Go," she gave him permission to 'go and play', laughing. "I'll call Drew – tell him you're here."

"Cool," Evan turned to Jon. "Lead the way young man."

Jon hugged Evan's hand to his chest for a moment and then took off, Evan following close behind, Matty chattering a mile a minute in his ear.

* * *

Hours later, tireder than he'd have been after a full scale off world mission, Evan flopped to the couch. "I don't know how you do that every day," he muttered, glancing over at his sister with genuine admiration.

"Well, to be fair, they aren't usually as exuberant as they were today," Elaine admitted. "Jon in particular. He loves you and he's so proud of you Evan – insists we play back every video you send us over and over again; pretends to be 'Uncle Evan on a dangerous mission' _all_ the time. If I didn't love you so much myself, I'd be a little jealous."

"I've missed him," Evan sighed. "Missed all of you," he added, nodding to his brother in law. "Sorry I didn't give you warning before landing on your doorstep."

"Don't be an idiot," Drew shot back.

"I didn't miss that," Lorne muttered, throwing his friend a narrow eyed look.

"How long can you stay?" Elaine asked hopefully.

"A couple of days," Evan straightened a little, regretfully. "I wish it was more but this is kind of bonus leave because they called me in to do a briefing at the Colorado base."

"Still can't tell us what they've got you doing or where?" Drew asked.

"Still classified," Evan agreed. "What about you?"

"They promoted me, put me in charge of two squadrons," Drew said it modestly. "I was going to tell you in the next video."

"That's great," Lorne got up and offered his friend his hand, shaking it vigorously and slapping Drew on the back. "Major Rider ... sounds good."

"It does," Drew agreed. "Now I have to be responsible _all_ the time though."

"Burden of command," Lorne laughed, thinking of his CO as he retook his seat. "You can always find creative ways to still have a little fun."

Elaine looked at her brother thoughtfully. "So tell me Evan ... who is Prudence?"

"Prudence?" Evan asked innocently, surprised she'd waited the whole day to grill him.

"You've mentioned her a few times in your messages, especially the recent ones," Elaine explained. "Who is she?"

"Ah, yes, the lovely Prue," Evan intoned, eyes twinkling. "She might be the one, Sis," he said simply.

"The one," Elaine repeated stupidly. "The one _what_? What does that mean?"

"You must be slacking off in the romance department there man," Lorne told Drew. Looking back to his sister he turned abruptly serious. "What do you think it means?"

"You _met_ someone?" Elaine asked incredulously. "You actually met someone and you're freely admitting it? Drew, call the Pentagon and ask them what they did with my brother."

"Oh, very funny," Evan shook his head.

"Tell me everything!" Elaine demanded. "What's she like? When can we meet her?"

"Ah ... no idea on the second part," Lorne replied, "and I can't tell you everything because some of its classified but -."

"Wait," Elaine held up a hand. "Your relationship with a civilian is classified?"

"Of course not," Lorne laughed. "But it's a little hard to tell you some things given they took place on a classified base."

"All right, tell me about her then," Elaine requested patiently.

"What do you want to know?" Evan asked, not sure where to start.

"Have you got a photo so I can see what she looks like?" Elaine asked.

"Ah – no," Lorne shrugged. "Running around with a camera isn't something you do on a military basis." It was something he really should have thought of though, given he'd only miss Prue more the longer they were apart. Having a photo might have helped. Although ... "I'll draw you a sketch before I go."

"Okay, then how would you describe her?" Elaine persisted, to the amusement of her husband who was watching his friend closely.

"Five foot two, dark hair, brown eyes, delicate build," Evan grinned. "Beautiful ... in the eye of this beholder anyway. She's stubborn like you wouldn't believe – dedicated too. She's kind of a geek – one of the civilian scientists on base."

"So she's smarter than you then?" Elaine was watching her brother too, enjoying the way his face had softened as soon as he'd begun talking about the woman he'd freely labelled as 'the one'.

"Probably," Evan allowed with a hint of pride for Prue.

"Do you love her?" Elaine asked gently.

Evan met his sister's eyes, a host of emotions swirling there. He said nothing though, still reluctant to put a public label on his feelings for fear that as soon as he did it would all explode in his face. Prue had secrets and he still wasn't sure that some of them weren't going to be the kind that would leave him bleeding and alone. And part of him hadn't let go of the reluctance he'd always felt to commit himself - he could see himself going down that road, which was a big enough change to get used to. It wasn't that Prue was changing him, just unearthing aspects of himself he'd buried a long time ago.

"Will I be needing to 'put you out of your misery' anytime soon?" Drew came at it from a different angle.

"What?" Lorne blinked, and then laughed, remembering Elaine's wedding day with sudden clarity - and what he'd asked Drew to do if Evan ever lost his mind and decided to get married. "Whoa, it's way too early for that buddy!"

"Too early but not out of the realms of possibility?" Drew shook his head at Elaine, silently promising to explain later.

"Maybe," Evan allowed.

"Then she must be pretty amazing," Drew said simply, getting a wordless nod from Lorne in return.

* * *

Lorne spent two days with Elaine and Drew, putting aside his personal concerns to just enjoy being with his family.

He followed essentially the same process on a day visit to Nebraska, where Piper and Rob greeted him with the same openness as his sister had. Piper took one look at him and knew something was different - he admitted to Prue's presence in his life and told Piper how he'd almost videoed her a plea for help when he was trying to work out what to do. Piper simply urged him to think about the opportunities instead of the risks - something he did very well from a professional point of view. Piper knew him well enough to understand that a part of him was still worried about the grand scheme of things, the part that had never been able to completely let go of the hurt his Dad's death had brought to his family.

That's when it struck him. Evan was _older _than his Dad had been when he'd died. He'd gotten further in life that Jonathon Lorne had ... seen things his Dad wouldn't have dreamt possible, flown aircraft that would have had him bursting with pride and bouncing up and down with the desire to fly them himself. Evan hadn't told Prue about his Dad ... or John Jones, or any of the other people he'd lost over his career. They weren't far enough down the relationship track to have that kind of serious discussion - she just knew his family was his Mom, his sister and her family, and the friends he'd made along the way. He hadn't asked about her family either - because he hadn't wanted to open that door for her return questions. Now he wished he had - after she'd said there was nothing for her back on Earth he should have asked her why, instead of getting caught up in his own emotions.

The Daedalus was accommodating enough to grant him one last quick and easy trip, to San Francisco and a visit to his Mom. That one soothed his soul like nothing else could, and reminded him of all the values that grounded him, that made him who he was. If Grace Lorne noticed changes in her son she kept that knowledge to herself, instead asking him whether he'd had time to pursue his painting.

He felt like a naughty school boy when he had to admit that he hadn't. Telling her he'd done a little sketching had just made her shake her head in disappointment.

"You have a talent Evan," she said. "One you should be sharing, but instead you let it stagnate. If you don't use it eventually you'll lose the ability for creation from instinct. Do you really want to have to work at what used to come naturally?"

He didn't so he'd promised to try to find the time for real painting. Clearly that hadn't been good enough because his Mom left him sitting on the couch with a purposeful look on her face and then returned some time later with what she called an artist's care package - everything he'd need to paint a full scale oil painting.

He'd hugged her close and thanked her, even though he wasn't sure when he'd find the time to make use of her gift.

* * *

The I.O.A. did call Lorne back to the SGC for another briefing. The only good news on being recalled a little early was that when he got back to the SGC he had the equivalent of mail from Atlantis ... emails delivered during the weekly transmission he'd missed while he'd been visiting Piper and Rob, including one from Prue.

"_Evan, hi_," she had written.

"_I have no idea how to do this ... well, obviously I know how to write an email but I've never had anyone to send a personal message to before ... and you really didn't need to know that, did you?_" Evan grinned, almost hearing her tone of voice in his head.

"_Work is going slowly. Without you here to drag me out of the lab it's been ... I wouldn't say boring because you know I love my work but ... something is missing. Yes, I know – it's you! I hate to say it but the gloss has gone off the translation project – I feel like the minute you left everything stalled. I can't find what I need, the database isn't being cooperative, and I have to wait two weeks before I can get a mission to 322 on the roster. I tried to talk to Colonel Sheppard about the delay but he's a lot harder to track down than you were._"

Evan laughed, picturing Prue attempting to hunt John down to wherever he'd gone to avoid his paperwork.

"_I miss you. Don't be offended but I really didn't think it would be like this. Would it be wrong for me to hope you're missing me as much?_

_I know the next transmission isn't for a week. You'll be on the Daedalus by then but it would be reassuring to get a reply. And if you wanted to say you're lost without me, that would be nice._" She'd put a smiley face winking at him so he'd know she was joking.

"_Have a safe trip home ... I'll be here ... of course, where else would I be?_

_Prue._"

Smiling, Evan opened a reply immediately – he'd submit it so it would go back to Atlantis in the next transmission.

"_Prue ... nice email._

_While I sympathise with you on your project stalling I have to say, the fact that you're missing me enough to admit to it is a nice boost to my ego. Let me boost yours in return and tell you that I miss you too ... even while I was visiting my sister and my Mom. Sorry - that's about as sappy as it gets._

_So I'm back at the SGC because the I.O.A. want to grill me some more on the Puddle Jumpers. They didn't like what I told them last time so now I have to go and repeat it. I'll get a few more days off after I'm done with that – not sure what I'm going to do with them yet. __The Daedalus will be leaving on schedule next week ... the trip back here was nice but ... I'm not sure I have a place here anymore. I'll be glad to get back to Atlantis._

_Stay out of trouble okay?_

_Evan_

_P.S. If you need Colonel Sheppard to approve something, look for him on the balcony at the top of the South East Tower – but don't tell him I pointed you in that direction._

* * *

The next day Lorne sat through a long meeting with the I.O.A. where they picked apart everything he'd told them the first time, just as he'd expected. It was obvious why - they didn't like the only conclusions that could be drawn from his first report, that Earth would not be parading its own fleet of Puddle Jumper's in the near future. They didn't have enough Jumpers or enough people with the natural gene - artificial gene holders could fly the Jumpers, sure, but Lorne's research had shown that they weren't as efficient or as accurate in training, and further that those without prior flight experience just didn't have the skills to make the most of what the Jumper's were capable of.

Eventually, in the face of his quiet competence and resolve, the I.O.A. representatives had to concede defeat, thanking him for his time and finally releasing him from further discussion. Lorne waited until he was outside the door to grin - Colonel Sheppard would be satisfied with the result, especially after Lorne briefed him on all the details.

With another day at the SGC ahead of him, and remembering Daniel's words from his first day, Evan went in search of the SG-1 team member.

"If that mission to P88-013 is still on, count me in," he said as he knocked at Daniel's doorway.

"Evan," Daniel smiled. "All done with the I.O.A?"

"More than," Lorne said blandly. "I could do with some simple work, stretch my legs, clear out the cobwebs."

"I get it," Jackson chuckled. "Strangely I usually leave I.O.A. briefings feeling exactly the same way. As it happens we haven't been to P88-013 yet - we head out in a couple of hours."

"Great, I'll get clearance from General Landry and find myself some gear," Lorne grinned.

* * *

Colonel Maybourne greeted them at the gate instead of making them walk to his village. The self-named King Arkan had continued to further his understanding of the Ancient ruins on his adoped planet in the years since SG-1 had first gone there, cooperating with the SGC along the way because it served his purposes too. Teal'c had been called to an important meeting of the Jaffa leaders, leaving SG-1 down to three members. Carter and Mitchell stood behind Daniel, their stance a 'mess with our teammate at your peril' warning that had Maybourne smiling ruefully. When he spotted Evan he grinned.

"Major!" Maybourne greeted Lorne like a long lost friend. "I thought you'd been assigned to the Atlantis project."

Evan didn't question how the ex-Colonel could possibly know that. "Holiday," he said instead, expression bland.

"Well then, maybe you'll be equally interested in what I found," Maybourne smiled, clicking his fingers until one of his hangers-on handed him a cloth wrapped object. "I can't translate this," he told Daniel, holding it out.

Daniel took it, unwrapping it carefully and then letting out a low whistle.

"What is it?" Evan asked.

"The Ancient equivalent of the Rosetta stone," Daniel said reverently, tracing a finger over the carved letters. "Or at least some of it ... there's a section missing. Where did you find this?" he asked Maybourne.

"I can show you," Harry rubbed his hands together, clearly enjoying the prospect of another adventure with SG-1.

Cam looked at Daniel for a moment, getting an imperceptible nod in return. "Right - lead the way."

Maybourne led them through the trees until he reached a stone marker much like the ones Evan had seen on M4R-322. "Here," Harry gestured to the area in front of the stone.

Daniel looked around, his eyes narrowed.

"What are you thinking?" Sam asked in a low tone.

"That they probably divided this deliberately," Daniel replied, looking down at the tablet still in his possession.

"And buried the other half somewhere else," Carter concluded.

"In all likelihood yes," Daniel agreed. "The obvious place would be the columns."

"So we split up," Cam decided. "Sam and I will search here with Maybourne. You and Lorne go search the columns."

Daniel nodded, looking over to Evan. "Are you up for a walk?"

"Sure, of course," Lorne agreed. "Lead the way Doctor."

* * *

"I've seen these before." Hanging by a rope over a dark hole. Prue, lying still and pale. That instance of fear when he'd thought he was too late. The images from M4R-322 assaulted Lorne's mind and he ruthlessly pushed them away.

"As I recall, you have been here before," Daniel said with exaggerated patience.

"Not here," Lorne countered, looking around. "It wasn't here. Back in Pegasus. Ancient ruins from some kind of education facility - there were lots of these columns surrounding it."

"Did they all have carvings like this?" Daniel touched a hand to the column closest to him.

"Yeah," Evan frowned. "Can you read these?"

"Yes, although the different dialects suggest they were carved over many hundreds of years," Daniel replied, pushing up his glasses in that way of his. "They're prophesies Evan. Like the one that had Maybourne luring us here the first time."

"What do they say?" Lorne asked, walking closer to one column with narrowed eyes. He couldn't have said why but there was something about it that both drew him nearer and repulsed him at the same time. He wanted to know what was on it but from a safe distance. "_Don't be ridiculous Evan_," he told himself. "_It's a piece of rock, not a bomb!_"

"The research teams created a time line," Daniel said, moving to stand beside Lorne's shoulder so he could get a closer look. "This is one of the columns set in the future ... an event that hasn't happened yet," he said distractedly, translating as he read. "Oh," the archaeologist tensed abruptly.

"What?" Evan demanded, not liking the other man's tone. "What does it say?"

"It's about you actually," Daniel's words had Evan tensing too.

"Sorry?" He glanced at his companion, frowning in confusion. "Me? How could you possibly know that?"

"Remember the first time we were here?" Daniel queried, eyes still trained on the words carved by an unknown person.

"I try not to!" Lorne shot back.

"Maybourne's prophesy," Daniel reminded him. "How did it go?" His eyes went distant as he thought for a moment. "Ah ... on the fourth moon of the fifty-fourth cycle one from a distant world will come and with Ludo's Pyramid claim the power of the Ancestors. In so doing will the fate of galaxies be forged." His eyes sharpened as he looked at Lorne. "Does that sound familiar?"

"Not really," Evan admitted. "I wasn't exactly paying attention at the time. I remember the headache though - that was a bitch."

"Since the pyramid revealed that you have the gene ... 'the power of the Ancestors' ... that makes _you_ the one from a distant world," Daniel explained.

"I'm not forging fates anywhere Daniel," Lorne pointed out with a half laugh. "How accurate are these things anyway?"

"So far, very," Daniel said, the interest evident in his expression. "All the ones we've dated back have in essence 'come true'," he air quoted the last two words. "Admittedly record keeping prior to Harry taking over as King left much to be desired but since he was using what's carved here to convince his subjects he had some kind of psychic power I'd say we can take the later predicted events occurring as given."

"Then I'm not this 'one from a distant world'," Lorne insisted, more amused than anything.

"Ah, I think you _are_," Daniel countered, looking at Evan carefully. "Don't you want to know what this one says?"

"Do I?" Lorne's eyes narrowed as he turned the question back on the archaeologist.

"No, but I think you should," Daniel replied. Turning back to the column he translated again as he read. "In the last moons of the fifty fifth cycle the one from a distant world will return and his arrival shall herald the beginning of the end for the enlightened. Only with the supreme sacrifice will right prevail."

"What the hell does that mean?" Lorne demanded, the icy feeling inside telling him it wasn't good.

"With these things there's always an element of interpretation," Daniel explained earnestly. "I'd guess that the enlightened are ascended Ancients. The beginning of the end seems pretty self explanatory."

"And the supreme sacrifice?"

"Ah ... supreme, ultimate, I think they mean the same thing in this context," Daniel watched Lorne draw the obvious conclusion.

"_Death_?" Evan said incredulously. "You're saying that somehow my dying is going to save the Ancients?"

"The fate of galaxies," Daniel said quietly.

"I'm not buying it," Lorne said decisively, "because it doesn't make any sense! Why would the Ancients need me to save them? Aren't they all powerful or something?"

"That's a common misconception," Daniel explained. "In actual fact their existence is restricted in ways we can't understand. Potentially they have the capability to do whatever they can conceive but their rules impose harsh penalties for any who attempt to exercise that in any corporeally meaningful way."

"Okay, but that doesn't immediately imply that one of us could help them," Evan insisted, "even if we could prove that column is talking about me. Given it was carved thousands of years before I was born I'm going to go with highly unlikely on that one!"

"There's a way to prove it," Daniel offered in a low tone.

"What?" Evan blinked. "How?"

"There's one last line here," Daniel gestured to the bottom of the column and read. "When the one endures the test, then will his identity be announced to all."

"And what test would that be exactly?" Evan queried with exaggerated patience.

"I think you put your hands on the column," Daniel looking at the stone pillar, eyes narrowed behind his glasses. "If it's referring to you, something will happen. If nothing happens then you're in the clear."

"It's what the 'something' is that concerns me Daniel," Lorne said pointedly.

"Usually with the Ancient technology the first indicator is that it lights up right?" Daniel queried, getting a nod of confirmation in return. "There's been no evidence of any energy sources in all our previous visits – from what we can tell these columns are simply local rock – they look fairly harmless to me. So ... you keep your mind completely blank and touch it."

"If that column really is some kind of tester and it's just looking for the gene then anyone could be 'the one'," Lorne pointed out the obvious flaw in that reasoning.

"True," Daniel frowned. "We need someone else with the gene to try it first."

"Forget it," Lorne laughed, knowing immediately who Daniel was thinking of. "General O'Neill isn't going to come all the way from the Pentagon just to put his hand on a piece of rock!"

"You'd be surprised," Daniel returned. Activating his radio he contacted Colonel Mitchell and explained what they needed. Cam agreed that he and Sam would head back to the SGC to get it organised.

* * *

Lorne could hardly credit it, but a mere hour later General O'Neill himself was striding through the trees. Stopping with hands resting on a P-90, he looked comfortable in his BDUs and cap.

"Jack," Daniel said blandly.

"Daniel," Jack replied just as blandly. Turning to look at Lorne he smirked. "We're gonna have to stop sending you here if you keep making trouble Major."

"Don't worry Sir," Lorne replied, "I have no intention of ever coming back here again. Not voluntarily anyway."

"Right, so what have you got for me?" Jack looked around the ruins with interest.

"Not much actually," Daniel grinned, clearly happy to see his former CO. "In fact, as soon as you put your hand on the column in front of Lorne, you can go home again."

"Is that right?" Jack cocked a brow at his friend. "Just touch that there column and then go home, you say?" His amusement obvious, he turned to Lorne. "What isn't he telling me Major?"

"We think it's some kind of test Sir," Evan explained reluctantly. "Daniel thinks some of what's on there is talking about me and that the reaction when we each touch the column will prove it."

"So if I pass this test then you're in the clear, if not then Daniel's right?" Jack summarised. He turned a narrow eyed frown at his friend. "And what am I to expect will happen when I put my hand ... wherever it is I'm supposed to put my hand?"

"Nothing," Daniel insisted. "If the test is simply identifying the subject of the prophesy then it should simply light up when the right person touches it."

"Like Excalibur," Jack smirked. "Sweet!" Strolling forward he motioned Lorne out of the way and then looked at the column. "Any particular spot or do I just -"

"Just touch the damn column Jack," Daniel broke in impatiently.

Jack exchanged an amused look with Lorne before reaching out a hand and brushing his fingers lightly on the stone. When nothing happened he put his entire palm on the column, meeting Daniel's eyes when it remained as it was. "Your turn," he told Lorne.

"Right," Evan moved back into the hot seat, so to speak. "Can I go on record as saying I think this is a bad idea?" he muttered, eyeing the stone with distrust.

"You can, as long as you stop stalling and touch the darn thing," Jack replied.

"Okay," Lorne paused for a moment, gathering his thoughts and forcing them to the back of his mind. When he felt calm enough he reached out a hand and touched the column.

And all hell broke loose.

* * *

From what Daniel told him later, an invisible force punched out from the stone and slammed into Lorne's chest, throwing him a full body length clear of where he'd been standing.

For Evan it was much more than that. As soon as his hand touched stone his mind was inundated with noise – not the gentle undertones of static he experienced on Atlantis. No, this was the opposite – not gentle fingers caressing but sharp nails clawing and stabbing inside his head. His heart was pounding and a fire crawled under his skin, prickly and insidious, like a legion of fire ants walking all over him. It was so bad that he never noticed that he'd gone from standing upright to being stretched out on the ground.

He didn't hear General O'Neill radioing the SGC with a medical emergency, or Daniel dropping to his side and calling his name urgently. He couldn't hear the wind in the trees or the dirt shifting under Daniel's boots ... or his own voice, yelling himself hoarse in agony. He couldn't feel himself writhing on the ground, unable to keep still even when Daniel and the General tried to restrain him.

It was pain at a cellular level and it went on and on and on ... until merciful oblivion came to take his awareness away.


	24. Unnamed, unseen

**Chapter 24: Unnamed, unseen.**

Lorne dreamt. Nightmares where someone or something tried to rip him apart from the inside ... change who he was at the fundamental level.

Surrounded by formless shadows and swirls of shifting light, he fought. They wanted to take something from him but he couldn't let them, holding on grimly to a core of certainty he didn't know he had, a core that was fuelled by his love for his country, his family, for Prue ... yeah, when getting slammed by something he couldn't even see, labelling his feelings was suddenly pretty damn easy. That core was supported by his respect for the people who'd influenced his direction the most – General O'Neill, Colonel Sheppard, Doctor Weir and others, down the years of his career.

It went on for days ... weeks ... years – he couldn't really tell. He had no sense of time or location ... he was cut off from any kind of appreciation of himself as a physical being, relying on others to look after him physically while he battled to look after his mental self. He ran the statistics to himself repeatedly, like a mantra that would centre and calm him. "_You're Major Evan Lorne. Son of Grace and Jonathon Lorne. You work for Lieutenant Colonel John Sheppard on Atlantis. Resident of the Pegasus Galaxy._"

The more whatever attacked him tried to pull that core from him, the tighter he held on. It became a tug of war in his head they weren't going to win – he'd hold on until it killed him rather than let go of even one small part of what made him who he was.

And then abruptly it stopped and his mental self collided forcefully with the reality of his physical presence.

* * *

Everything felt like it slammed to a half after constant motion. Lorne's eyes snapped open and were immediately assaulted by light that stabbed into his pupils, blinding him. Blinking furiously he put hands over his ears to block out the sounds – blips, beeps, gurgles, humming, rustling, buzzing white noise ... the sound of his own heart beating. All of it was overwhelming ... he had to ... he had to get away.

"Evan!" Daniel Jackson jumped up from the chair beside the door, grabbing the call button and pressing it.

Lurching up in bed, Lorne ripped at the leads connected to him, heart pounding, breathing rapid and shallow. He squinted into the light, putting a hand over his eyes with a grimace.

Perceptive to his companion's plight, Daniel hurried to dim the lights, shooting a look at Evan to check for an impact.

"Noise," Lorne got out, still wincing.

Daniel frowned, glancing around the room assessingly. Walking to the wall he quickly switched off the equipment. Not done, he gathered up noise sources – bedside clock, lamp, anything else both electric and portable – and dumped them outside the door, closing it gently.

Outside stimuli down to a level he could just handle, Lorne relaxed a little, turning his attention to Daniel, eyes intensely blue in a face that was devoid of warm colour. For a second his brain couldn't compute the presence of the other man, but then, with a rush, it all came back to him. "Daniel?" Frowning, Evan looked around, for the first time thinking about where he actually was.

"You're at the SGC," Daniel confirmed, voice lowered.

Lorne flopped back down on the bed, eyes trained on the ceiling. "I _told _you it was a bad idea," he muttered, the moments before he'd touched that column suddenly vividly clear. He felt like he'd battled an army singlehandedly for days but already the minutiae of details was slipping away.

"You did,' Daniel agreed, his tone apologetic. "I'm really sorry Evan."

"What?" Lorne looked at the other man, confused. "It's not your fault I got something we didn't bargain for."

"Maybe not, but I still feel responsible," Daniel shook his head. "Especially when we didn't think you'd make it."

Lorne frowned. They'd thought he wasn't going to make it? "Wh -," The door opened again with a burst of noise that had him slamming his hands over his ears again.

Daniel rushed forward, stopping General Landry and Doctor Lam just inside the door. "He needs quiet," Daniel explained in a lowered tone.

Nodding, Caroline moved to the bed, frowning at the leads dangling uselessly over the side. "You know, we put these things on you for a reason Major," she admonished, her volume low enough for Evan to lower his hands.

"Ah," Lorne glanced around at the 'dead' machines surrounding him with a grimace. "Sorry – they were ... loud."

"So you're experiencing some light and noise sensitivity," Lam confirmed. "We can give you something to dull the effect until it wears off. Anything else I should know about Major?" she asked, her voice already settling into a volume he could live with. "How are you feeling, aside from the problems with light and sound?"

"Fine," the one word response was out of his mouth automatically, even though clearly he _wasn't_ fine.

"You've been unconscious for over a week Major," Lam revealed pointedly. "I'm gonna need a little more than just 'fine'."

"A _week_?" Evan's eyes shot to Daniel's and he got a nod of confirmation. "The Daedalus?"

"Left on schedule three days ago," General Landry replied. "Atlantis is aware of your situation."

"Ah, right ... okay," Lorne said distractedly, dismayed at the news that his ride home had left without him. Instead of eighteen days to get back to Atlantis he was now looking at four times that. It'd be _months_ before he got back and that fact staggered him so much that he didn't notice the concerned looks being exchanged between the General and his daughter.

"Are you in any other pain Major?" Caroline continued with her assessment, his chart in hand as she scribbled notes.

Evan wondered what it meant when the General said Atlantis was aware of his situation. Had they been told everything or just that he wasn't fit to return? He needed to speak to Colonel Sheppard himself ... needed to find out if Prue was –

"Major Lorne," Doctor Lam had been talking in quiet tones – her sudden increase in volume had Evan flinching, his attention back in the room.

"Sorry?" he looked at her, flushing a little when he realised she'd asked the question more than once and that Daniel and General Landry were watching him with varying degrees of concern.

"I asked if you were in any other pain Major?" Doctor Lam repeated, quiet again.

"No," Evan shifted in the bed, trying to get comfortable. "I feel like a fleet of tanks rolled over me and then backed up just to make sure I was sufficiently flattened," he quipped. "What happened?"

"You don't know?" Lam frowned.

"All I know is I put my hand on that column and something grabbed me," Lorne admitted. "I can tell you what it felt like but that's it."

"That's good. I'll get you something to dull the edges and then you can do just that," Caroline put a hand on his arm reassuringly. "I'll be back in a few minutes Major."

Lorne nodded, settling back a little and closing his eyes. He not only felt flattened, he felt tired as well, enough that he would have forgotten he was in the presence of General Landry and fallen asleep if Daniel hadn't cleared his throat, startling Lorne awake.

"Jack sends his apologies," Daniel offered. "He stayed as long as he could but was called back to the Pentagon a few days ago."

Nodding, Evan shrugged. "I wouldn't have expected the General to stay even that long," he admitted.

"He'd never say this himself," Daniel leaned in closer so that General Landry wouldn't hear, "but I think you're his favourite Major."

Evan chuckled, the action sending pain shooting through his head. "God, don't make me laugh," he protested, still grinning faintly.

"Are you messing with my patient Doctor Jackson?" Caroline returned, disapproving expression firmly in place.

"That depends on your definition," Daniel shared a conspiratorial look with Lorne.

"Right," Lam turned back to Evan, "let's see how you do after this. Thankfully you didn't pull this one out," she added, administering the contents of the syringe she'd brought into his IV.

It wasn't instantaneous but pretty close to it. The noise and the light levels were the same but it was like he now had a bubble surrounding him, absorbing some of the input before it could get to him.

"Better?" Lam asked, watching him closely.

"Yeah," Lorne's brow rose. "What was in that Doc?"

"Neural inhibitors," Caroline explained. "We've just toned down the feedback you're getting, which will allow us to determine if there's any underlying cause for your current sensitivity."

"And if there isn't?" Lorne asked.

"Then the effect wears off and you get to go home Major," Lam said with a smile. "Otherwise you might be a resident here a little longer than you were planning."

"So tell us Major, what exactly happened, from your perspective?" General Landry began.

"Like I said Sir, something grabbed me," Evan replied. "Felt like it was trying to get at me from the inside out. I don't know what it was but I do know that it wanted me to let go of something and I guess I must have said no – it wasn't happy about that."

"How did you break free?" Landry queried.

"No idea Sir," Lorne admitted. "I have no recollection of anything I did that would have helped."

"But you think it was an actual entity of some kind," Daniel concluded. "Something real?"

"I hate to say it but yeah, I do," Evan agreed.

"Perhaps Doctor Lam can tell you what we found while monitoring you Major," General Landry suggested.

"Of course. When Doctor Jackson and General O'Neill brought you back here it was clear that you were in a great deal of physical pain," Doctor Lam began. "In fact, until a few moments ago you continued to display outward signs of pain, putting your body under enormous stress. We couldn't find an immediate cause, but functional MRI scans revealed a much higher level of activity in the neocortex, primary somatosensory cortex, and through the thalamus into the parietal lobe."

"What does all that mean Doc?" Lorne asked, frowning.

"The thalamus is a central relay for things like pain," Caroline explained. "The level of activity you exhibited confirms that as far as your body, and in particular your brain was concerned, what you were feeling _was_ real pain."

"And those other areas?" Lorne continued.

"The somatosensory system as a whole allows you to detect and interpret a wide range of sensory inputs – your levels were consistent with someone receiving large amounts of stimuli," Caroline said. "Finally, the neocortex is involved in higher functions. In your case I believe the ones of most relevance are sensory perception and spatial reasoning."

"So you're saying as far as the brain scans you took are concerned, I perceived whatever the source of this pain was and my body was reacting to that?" Evan deduced.

"Exactly," Lam said approvingly. "Your brain activity convinced me there was a real source of pain, so we conducted a number of tests and when they showed nothing we conducted them again. Because we did that – created a baseline for comparison – I was able to determine the cause of the pain, if not the source."

"So, what was causing it?" Lorne asked, a little impatient to get the punch line even though he was already pretty sure he wouldn't like it.

"I ran some DNA related blood tests looking for hereditary deceases that might manifest in a manner similar to your symptoms," Doctor Lam continued. "When I ran them a second time I didn't get any positive results but we noticed something very interesting. I wouldn't go so far as to say something was trying to rewrite your DNA Major, but there was clear evidence of DNA level trauma."

"So my DNA has been affected?" Lorne looked from Lam to General Landry and back again, at the back of his mind recalling Colonel Sheppard's ordeal with the retrovirus. This didn't sound good.

"Not exactly, and from what I can tell, not permanently," Caroline said reassuringly. "There were signs that certain areas of your DNA were under attack but your body's defences kicked in and fought back."

"Certain areas?" Lorne commented, eyes narrowed at her emphasis on those two words.

"Yes," Doctor Lam exchanged a look with her father before finishing it. "An area we know well because of the work of Doctor Beckett."

"The ATA gene?" Evan's brows rose sharply. "Something was attacking my ATA gene? What would have happened if it had succeeded?"

"I can't be one hundred percent sure but at a guess I'd say you'd no longer be able to use your gene Major," Caroline said, her expression serious.

"Ah, okay," Lorne blinked ... _that _bothered him a lot more than he'd admit to! Looking past Caroline to where Daniel stood, he frowned. "_That's _what the Ancient's call a test?" he asked the archaeologist. "Trying to switch off the ATA gene?"

"We don't know," Daniel admitted. "Look, SG-1 returned to the columns after Jack and I got you back here, when it looked like the problem wasn't going to have a quick solution. We checked the records from all the SG teams Maybourne has let onto the planet since we first found them too. I couldn't find any further reference to testing the subjects of the prophesies, nor any other mention of this 'one from a distant planet' – the two we know about seem to be all there is."

"And we're sure those columns were all carved by the Ancients as we know them?" Lorne queried.

"Ah ...," Daniel frowned. "I guess we were assuming that, but now that you ask the question ... what are you thinking Evan?"

"That not every ascended being lives by the same standard as the ones we've had direct dealing with, including you," Lorne replied. "We _assumed_ they did because we assumed there was no way to avoid punishment by the rest of the group. Maybe that's not true. Maybe some bored ascended ancient put that note on the stone to lure us in, like baiting an ant trap with honey."

"We're the ants, right?" Daniel murmured, amused despite the subject matter.

"Ants, bees, whatever analogy you're comfortable with," Evan confirmed blandly.

"We can't confirm it of course, but it's something to look into," Daniel shrugged. "You mentioned that other location in the Pegasus galaxy with similar structures – I'd recommend when you get back sending enough people there to get all the stones documented. I can assist with translation if it's too much for your Doctor Darnell."

"I'll talk to Doctor Weir," Lorne promised. Turning hopeful eyes to Doctor Lam he let his brow rise. "So, when can I get out of here Doctor?"

Caroline rolled her eyes and then clicked her fingers beside his ear, watching dispassionately while Evan flinched, swallowing back a groan of pain. "When the slightest noise doesn't result in the urge to vomit Major," she smiled to take the sting off. "We'll keep this room isolated and the levels of light and noise controlled until some of the sensitivity wears off. As soon as I'm convinced there's no underlying cause, _and_ that you won't be collapsing from neural overload Major, you'll be free to return to Atlantis."

General Landry watched the younger officer's shoulders drop at the mention of his base. "You'll be gating back Major," he announced. "Colonel Sheppard convinced me he couldn't possibly cope for more than a month without his second in command."

"That's ...," Lorne stopped, the relief almost overwhelming. "That's very generous General. Thank you," he said gratefully.

"Sounds like you've earned it Major," Landry said simply. "I'll expect you to keep us updated on anything you find through investigating this matter back in the Pegasus galaxy."

"Of course Sir," Lorne agreed.

Nodding, General Landry nodded. "As you were Major," he said. Turning to his daughter he smiled slightly. "Doctor," he acknowledged.

"General," she replied in kind.

"Doctor Jackson," he stopped at the door. "Maybe you should go and let General O'Neill know that our Major here is back with the land of the living."

"I'll do that General," Daniel agreed.

"Get some rest Major," Lam advised, before following her father out the door, leaving Lorne alone with Daniel.

"Don't let it bother you," Daniel said lightly.

"What, having some kind of intergalactic death note hanging over my head?" Lorne quipped. "Why would that bother me?" Daniel chuckled even as Lorne sighed, serious again. "There'll be some kind of logical explanation for what happened Daniel," he insisted grimly.

"I hope so," Daniel agreed quietly.

* * *

Lorne settled back in the bed once he was alone, his mind racing. Prophesies that apparently identified him personally. Mention of ascended Ancients. An attack at the genetic level. More pain than he'd ever experienced before and hoped never to experience again. Something trying to wipe out his ATA gene. _What the hell?_

The soft knock on his door was a welcome interruption from the chaos of questions in his mind, so Lorne called out a 'Come in', trying not to wince as the sound of his own voice reverberated in his head.

"Sir?" Laura Cadman peered around the partly open door uncertainly.

"Lieutenant," Evan frowned. "Shouldn't you be on the Daedalus?"

"Temporary assignment with SG-11 Sir," Laura explained. "I'll be back on the Daedalus next trip." Approaching the bed, she looked at Evan carefully. "It's good to see you awake Sir."

"It's good to _be_ awake," Lorne returned, _'especially given the alternative'_, he added internally.

"I was on duty when they brought you back from oh one three," Laura's usual lively facade was absent and that fact had Lorne looking at her a little closer.

"I'm guessing, judging from your expression Lieutenant, that it was pretty disturbing," Evan said casually.

"Disturbing enough that you should be taking it a lot more seriously!" Laura exclaimed. "Sir," she added, realising quickly that her tone and lack of address could be seen as insubordination.

"I'm fine now," Evan said. He hesitated for a moment but the chance to find out anything he could about Atlantis was too great to pass up. "Can you tell me anything about what's happening back in the city Lieutenant?"

A small smiled played over Laura's face and Lorne did his best to ignore it. While Cadman hadn't been around Atlantis since he and Prue managed to get their acts heading in the same direction, he had no doubt she knew just the same.

"There's some kind of big project that's causing Carson no end of stress," Laura offered. "Apart from that it's been pretty quiet."

"Anything else?" Lorne looked at her pointedly, silently asking her to cut him some slack.

"Atlantis dialled in a few days early to get a status report on your condition Sir," Laura took pity on him, teasing under the current circumstances not having its usual appeal. "I don't know whether anyone requested permission to gate in but I did hear that General Landry told Colonel Sheppard up front that he'd only approve a gate trip if there was sufficient justification. I guess they couldn't do that so you're stuck with just me visiting, Sir."

"Lucky me," Lorne half smiled when she looked put upon by his teasing.

"You have emails from everyone on your team, plus Colonel Sheppard, Doctor Weir, and a few others. I got quite a few too, from people asking me to tell you they're praying for you Sir." Laura grinned teasingly. "There are four or five from Prue for you – she must have written one every day since the SGC first dialled in."

"Could you ...?" Lorne trailed off, loathe to ask for something so personal.

"Can I organise something so you can read them?" Laura suggested. "Of course Sir. In fact I'll go do that now – let you get some sleep."

"Thank you Lieutenant," Lorne said gratefully.

"You're welcome Sir," Laura walked away from the bed, stopping with her hand on the door. "I'm _really_ glad you pulled through Sir," she said quietly before taking her leave.

* * *

"_Evan,_

_I don't know what to do. General Landry told us that you'd been hurt in an incident off world ... that you were in some kind of pain induced coma. They said you might not make it but I know that can't be true. You need to wake up and prove them wrong, right now! _

_Oh God. _

_You're not going to be reading this – I don't know what I'm doing here. Just ... please, I need you to get better._

_Prue"_

Evan frowned after reading Prue's first email. He couldn't tell who'd given her the news or how she'd taken it, aside from the denial and worry evident in her words. Clicking on the next message, he continued reading.

"_Evan,_

_It's night time in the city and I'm sitting on our balcony ... I know, it's not really ours but it should be. When you get better maybe we could put up a plaque or something. _

_God, listen to me ... a plaque? You're trapped in a painful hell and I'm talking about plaques! Damn - could I be any lamer?_"

Evan smiled at her use of the word 'damn'. He was rubbing off on Prue's language – no mean feat given she was a linguist.

"_I'm sorry ... I know you can't read these but ... I need some kind of connection to you and this is all I have._

_Don't leave me, okay ..._

_Prue_"

Guilt and sadness warred for dominance as he finished the second message. This was exactly the kind of situation he'd _always_ tried to avoid – being the cause of days and days of emotional upheaval as someone waited to hear if he was going to be okay. And yet, here he was, doing exactly that to Prue. That it wasn't his fault hardly mattered. With a sigh, he clicked on the third message.

"_Evan,_

_I was hoping to hear something positive today but the gate remains silent ... Colonel Sheppard promised we'd dial in tomorrow instead of waiting the full week so we could find out if you've recovered. I cling to the hope that you have._

_I've prayed and begged and pleaded for your freedom from where you are right now ... I wish there was more I could do._

_But there is nothing__else_.

_I wish I could ... I'm sorry._

_Prue._"

What had she wished? Lorne frowned. Would she have come to Earth, if General Landry hadn't put the 'special circumstances' clause on it? He'd like to think that she would ... hell, he wished that Prue had argued, rightly so, that _she_ was a special circumstance in her own right! He'd been unaware of anything during those days but still, something in him would have known she was there. And she'd be here now. Looking at his screen and the one unread message left, Lorne clicked and then read.

"_Evan,_

_We're dialling in within the hour so I need to get this done quickly. When we do, if they tell me you haven't woken up ... or God ... NO! I __won't__ think like that! We'll dial in and they'll tell us you're okay – I __know__ it. Just as I know you're too important not to make it through this. We need you ... but more than that, __I__ need you. I really can't do what I'm supposed to do without you. _

_That's why I know you'll come back to me._

_That's why I'm here ... waiting._

_Prue_"

Slowly closing the laptop, Lorne settled back in the bed, putting his palms over his eyes and pressing until that burning feeling subsided. He felt flattened all over again by what Prue had chosen to write ... he just wanted to see her, reassure both of them that it was going to be okay now. Instead he was stuck in the infirmary for the foreseeable future, struggling with a world that was just too bright and too loud.

There were other messages for him to read but Evan wasn't up to reading them right then. Tiredly, he turned over and buried his face in the pillow, falling quickly but uneasily to sleep.

* * *

A few days later Lorne was still convalescing in the infirmary. He'd improved, but not enough – still had flashes of stabbing pain in his head if a loud noise caught him by surprise, still flinched when Doctor Lam insisted on checking his pupil responses by shining her pen light directly into his eyes. That's why he'd had to practically beg Caroline to be where he was right then ... in the control room as the Stargate was sent into motion by an incoming wormhole.

Atlantis was dialling in for a regular check in.

Lorne had been given permission to speak to Colonel Sheppard while they were transmitting their weekly status reports. As he watched the more metallic feeling gate spin and lock in chevrons, Evan admitted to himself that he was a little nervous. On the one hand he craved contact with 'home' – he wanted to make sure for himself that everything had been moving along smoothly in his absence. None of the messages he'd received had contained details so he still wasn't sure exactly what Sheppard had been told about his experience on P88-013 – hadn't wanted to ask in front of General Landry and since then Daniel and the rest of SG-1 had been busy continuing delivery of the plague vaccine to the most vulnerable planets.

"Wormhole is established," Walter announced as the plume of water surged from the circle. "Atlantis, this is the SGC. We're reading you five by five."

"Acknowledged. Beginning transmission." Lorne smiled, hearing Chuck's voice at the controls, as usual. The man must pull double shifts for the amount of time he spent as the technician in charge in the control room. Kind of like Walter Harriman, now that Evan thought about it. Maybe there was more to being the one to dial the gate than he'd previously considered.

"We're received data now," Walter confirmed. "I have General Landry and Major Lorne here."

"Major!" It was Colonel Sheppard's voice now – Lorne's smile grew even as he acknowledged the reaction.

"Sir," he returned blandly.

"Not that I'm not happy to hear from you Major," John began," but what the hell happened? Last week they had you at death's door and were telling us there was nothing they could do."

"Oh," Lorne's eyes shot to General Landry, startled that the message delivered had been that extreme. "I ah ... I woke up Sir."

"You woke up," Sheppard repeated slowly. "Right. I'm sure there's a hell of a story there you'll be telling us when you get back. When is that precisely? Because I have to tell you, the paperwork's building up here."

"When Major Lorne is cleared by our infirmary he'll be gating back to Atlantis Colonel," General Landry revealed. "We wouldn't want that paperwork situation to get out of hand, would we?"

"Ah, no Sir, we wouldn't," John replied.

"Is there anything of importance beyond what's in the written reports?" Landry asked.

"No Sir," Sheppard sounded like he was shrugging. "The most interesting thing is that experiment of Doctor Beckett's. So far it's proceeding according to plan. Other than that it's been a quiet week Sir."

"Sometimes they're the best kind Colonel," Landry drawled. "I'll leave you to brief Major Lorne on anything he might need to know. Doctor Lam is hopeful we'll be able to return him before the next scheduled check in."

"Thank you Sir," John paused, and then his voice took on a chattier edge as he addressed his second in command. "So, how are you really feeling Major?"

"Good enough to return now Sir – if they'd let me," Evan replied as soon as it was just him and the technicians in the control room.

"Well I'm sure there's a reason for that Major, one Doctor Lam will no doubt inform Carson of," John smirked. "So don't expect to get off scot-free here either."

"Ah, no Sir," Lorne sighed. "Did they really tell you I was at death's door Sir?"

"Pretty much," John agreed. "Something about excruciating pain with no cause placing too much stress on your heart – Carson looked worried enough with the medical mumbo jumbo that we all knew it was pretty serious."

"I'm sorry Sir," Lorne said, his tone low.

"From all accounts you did nothing wrong Major," John chuckled, "although McKay will be reminding you about his "don't touch anything, even if it looks harmless" policy when you get back."

"I'm that keen to get back Sir that I think I'm looking forward to it," Evan glanced around the control room, noting that everyone was going about their business without paying him undue attention. "Anything to report on that favour I asked you for before I left Sir?" he asked evasively. He wasn't doing anything wrong, even by SGC standards, in having a relationship with Prue but that didn't mean he wanted to put his personal life up as a topic for discussion inside the mountain.

"We have a few people here who are _very _relieved to hear your voice Major," Sheppard kept it vague. Lorne was grateful for that – he'd like nothing better than to talk to Prue personally but in the middle of both their respective control rooms was hardly the appropriate setting. It was enough that she was there to here him awake and well.

"Everyone was worried," Sheppard continued, "but we handled it – nothing to concern yourself with. You just concentrate on getting over the line with the doctors so you can come back and see for yourself."

"Thank you Sir," Lorne said gratefully. "I will."

"Good ... then we'll see you in a few days Major. Atlantis out."

Lorne looked to Walter and nodded, the technician cutting their radio signal in tune with Atlantis cutting theirs. The wormhole disappeared, leaving an empty circle and a Major even more determined to do whatever it took to return home.

* * *

'Sensory sensitivity' wasn't the kind of injury where Evan could exercise or do physical therapy to bring along his recovery. What did occur to him though was that he didn't have to actually _be_ recovered – he just had to convince Doctor Lam that he was. It all came down to his continuing issues with noise and light. Lam had him on a reduced dose of neural inhibitors and in general he was doing much better but loud noises and bright lights still packed enough punch to send him reeling. Doctor Lam was looking for causes and would continue to do so unless he could _stop_ being so sensitive.

In the end the solution he came up with was simple – conditioning. Every day he spent hours in his quarters subjecting himself to progressively louder music, lights heading all the way up to full. In between times he went looking for things that would challenge his senses ... it all still had him wanting to flinch or puke in equal proportions but after three days he was confident that none of his reaction would show. He had it under control – and since he was confident that Carson would be equally as capable of helping fix the problem, Lorne didn't feel that it was wrong. He just wanted to go home.

When Doctor Lam tested him at his request she was forced to agree. "You've made a vast improvement Major – I think you'll be able to handle the additional challenges a city as busy as Atlantis will throw at you," she said. "I'd still like to keep you on the inhibitors for a while longer – I'll transfer your case to Doctor Beckett to manage that aspect."

"Thanks Doc," Lorne said easily, levering himself off the examination table. "I appreciate your looking after me the past couple of weeks."

"You're welcome," Caroline smiled. "Yours was the most interesting case to come through here in a long while. I'd feel better if we knew what put your DNA under attack like that – I hate sending you back without an answer."

"I'm just glad I'm well enough to go back," Lorne shrugged. "I'll get someone to look into the rest of it back there – who knows, maybe we will find that answer down the track."

"Maybe," Lam agreed, patting his shoulder fondly before taking her leave.

"Yes!" Evan grinned, suddenly excited. Tomorrow he was going home.


	25. Michael Who?

**Chapter 25: Michael Who?**

It would have been nice if Lorne's return to Atlantis could have been dignified. Instead he stepped through the wormhole and was immediately hit with a burst of mental static from the city, more than he'd been prepared for. Worse than any level of noise or light the SGC could have produced, it sent Evan crashing to the Gateroom floor, clutching his head and groaning in agony. He was unable to form a coherent enough thought to beg for quiet, unaware of what was going on or who might be there surrounding him. The city, sensitive to his pain, granted him blessed mental silence, but it was too late to stop him for losing his grip on consciousness.

* * *

This time his return to wakefulness was a gradual process instead of an intense rush. He noticed some things while still sleeping ... mostly that it was really quiet and still, like everyone was sleeping along with him ... and that someone holding his hand.

"Prue?" Blinking a few times Evan eventually got his eyes to stay open.

The quite was explained when he discovered that he was in one of the private room in the infirmary - which made sense given his reaction to being back. Prue had fallen asleep with her head down on the bed beside him, clutching his hand in both of hers, her cheek resting on his arm. Glancing around, Lorne noticed the room was on low light. Was it night time? Had he been unconscious for that long?

Directing his attention back to Prue he had to smile. She looked tired and a few strands of hair had escaped her usually tidy style, lying dark across her pale cheek. But to him she was ... perfection. It was a fanciful thought – a heart leaping just at the sight of another person – but that's how he felt. He'd missed her but only then realised how much.

"Prue," he said again, lightly stroking the hair back from her cheek. "Hey ... wake up okay."

Prue's eyelids fluttered and then opened, her eyes connecting with his. "Evan!" Instantly she was up and launching herself against his chest. "You're awake," she murmured, hugging him tightly. "Oh God, I thought ... I -," she buried her head against his neck, breath hitching.

"_Hey_, it's all right. I'm okay," Evan reassured her, holding her close.

Instead of reassuring her, his words had her lurching back with a glare. "You collapsed on the Gateroom floor!" she said accusingly. "After you told everyone at the SGC that you were well enough to come back! How is that okay Evan?"

"Ah, listen, it's not as bad as it looks, okay," Lorne tried to explain. "I guess the city was a little overwhelming to begin with but I really am okay now." It was true too – he realised with sudden clarity that his head wasn't sore anymore. He could sense the city – just a low hum of welcome now, hear the usual noises associated with living in a place that floated on the ocean and was full of machinery. The first moments of his return had been harsh but worth it because for the first time in two weeks he didn't feel like he had to pretend to be unaffected.

"Really?" Prue's accusing glare turned hopeful but still faintly suspicious. "You really feel better?"

"Yeah," Evan smiled. "I'd feel better yet if you came back over here and kissed me hello."

With a laugh she did just that, placing her hands against his cheeks and pulling him towards her. The kiss started out sweet – a 'welcome home, I was so worried about you' salute that quickly turned into more.

"I missed you," Lorne broke away to mutter the words, trailing kisses across her cheek.

"I didn't know what to do," Prue said, breathless. "When the SGC told us what was happening I didn't know what I should ... I tried but it wasn't enough and ..." Tears rose in her eyes and she would have turned away if he'd let her.

"I know. I'm sorry," he said, pressing a kiss to her lips. "I'm so sorry Prue."

"I hate this Evan," she sniffed, wiping at her eyes.

"Hate what?" He pulled back to look at her in confusion.

"Feeling like this!" More tears made an appearance, too fast for her to wipe them away. "Loving you wasn't part of the plan!"

There was that leaping heart thing again. She _loved_ him ... and even though she didn't seem exactly happy about it, the fact that she'd said it had him feeling powerful – like he could do anything. Cupping the back of her neck Evan pulled her in and kissed her, trying to express what she was to him, what she'd done to his head and his heart just by being who she was. Wrapping his arms around her he had her sprawled over him, never more glad to score a private room in the infirmary than right then.

"Major, good to see you finally awake," the door swung open and Carson strode in, interrupting them with a cheerful greeting, seemingly ignoring the manner in which he'd found his patient. Rather than break their contact abruptly like they'd been doing something wrong, Evan finished kissing Prue before letting her pull away, holding back a grin when she practically leapt clear of his bed, unnecessarily straightening her clothing and smoothing back her hair.

"And how are you feeling lad?" Carson asked, watching Evan carefully.

"Right now? Pretty damn good Doc," Lorne said with a faint smirk, throwing Prue a meaningful look and getting a half laugh, half glare in return.

"You're not bothered by the noise, the light?" Beckett asked with a frown of surprise. "The wormhole was still open when you collapsed – I conferred with Doctor Lam so I'm well aware you weren't completely honest about your situation prior to leaving the SGC."

"Yeah, sorry about that Doc," Lorne shrugged. "I wanted to get home. It was manageable and I couldn't see the harm in, you know, ...," he waved a hand in a vague gesture.

"In pretending you were fully over the effects of whatever happened on that planet?" Carson suggested. "Did they not tell you how serious it was? You could have died lad ... in fact for a moment there I thought you had, you were so still."

"Yeah, well, I'm fine now," Lorne insisted.

"Let me be the judge of that Major," Beckett said firmly, reaching for his stethoscope.

"I'll just ...," Prue gave Evan an unreadable look and then hurried from the room before he could ask her to stay.

"Sorry for the interruption Major," Carson said lightly, taking out his penlight and testing Lorne's vision.

"That's okay," Evan said, distractedly, his eyes still on the now empty doorway.

"She was worried about you," Carson finished with the light and proceeded to testing Evan's hearing. A click of his fingers, one loud '_hey!'_, and Carson was stepping back, considering Lorne with interest. "I'd say you're fully recovered Major," he announced. "Or you will be once we get your off those inhibitors."

"How?" Evan frowned, surprised.

"That _is_ the question, isn't it lad?" Carson replied. "One I suspect we'll no more get the answer to than we will be working out what caused the whole bloody thing in the first place."

"I don't know what to tell you Carson," Evan admitted. "If I'm better I can get out of here though, right?"

"First thing in the morning - we'll keep you under observation for the time being," Carson slapped Lorne on the back, moving to the door where he stopped. "It's good to have you back Major."

"It's good to be back," Evan returned, resettling himself in the bed.

* * *

If Carson had known how little sleep Lorne would actually get he might have released him straight away instead of keeping Evan in the infirmary overnight. He'd really wanted to find Prue straight away, finish what they'd started. In the absence of doing that Lorne spent most of the night thinking about what she'd said, and what she hadn't said – both that day and in her messages to him while he'd been sick. And more importantly, he thought about what _he_ hadn't said. As far as declarations of love went, Prue's wouldn't have exactly inspired any of the great poets to compose a sonnet in their honour. The more he thought about it the more he realised that Prue hadn't actually declared anything. She'd bemoaned that loving him made her life difficult. Instead of being insulted by that Evan found himself amused - after all, it was classic Prue to have her defences in place even when telling him something he'd wanted to hear.

It meant he'd have to devise a plan of attack ... because one, he couldn't see himself doing a standard declaration of love either. Not that he didn't have feelings for Prue worthy of the great bard himself, but it wasn't his style to get all mushy about it. Second, Lorne wanted Prue to be happy about their relationship, their shared feelings. He knew there were negatives – part of him was still struggling with the fact that he'd just put her through weeks of uncertainty, never mind that he couldn't guarantee it wouldn't happen again. It was almost morning before he decided on letting her words pass without comment. He'd prove to himself and to her what they could be together and _then_ work her around to telling him how she felt because she wanted to, not because he'd been at deaths door and she was understandably emotional about it.

The whole death's door thing kind of bugged him too. It hadn't felt that way to him - sure, he'd been in agony and all, but at the same time he'd felt strong. Physically it had obviously been a different story - that was what had him worried - that he could lose himself in the midst of a mental battle like that. What would have happened if he'd been stuck in that battle and physically he hadn't made it? Would he have ended up fighting forever or would everything have been taken over by whatever happened when the end came?

"Major Lorne," Doctor Keller entered his room to greet him at the start of early shift, thankfully halting his inner musings.

"Doctor," Evan returned her greeting with a faint smile.

"It's good to see you back here," Jennifer said, taking up his chart and checking whatever it was they checked after a night spent in the infirmary under observation. "Well, all your readings are back to normal which means as soon as you're ready you're free to go."

"Great," Lorne grinned. When Jennifer smiled at his enthusiasm, clearly about to leave him to get dressed he called her back. "Doc, can you give me a run down on what's been going on in the city while I was gone? I'll get an official update from Colonel Sheppard later but I'd be interested in the civilian perspective too."

"Oh," Jennifer looked surprised. "Okay, well, actually things have been pretty intense Major. I don't know the full story but Doctor Beckett has been working a lot of hours and the other day there was a city wide emergency and we were all ordered to stay in our quarters. I don't know any more than that at this stage."

"I guess I'll find out what that was about later," Lorne returned, frowning. A city wide order to stay in quarters usually meant something or someone dangerous was roaming Atlantis.

"I guess," Jenn agreed. "Aside from that it's been pretty quiet."

"Thanks Doctor," Lorne smiled.

"Haven't we been to enough movie nights for you to call me Jennifer all the time, not just when I'm handing out unsolicited romance advice?" she asked hopefully.

"Sure," Lorne nodded, laughing, "as long as you call me Evan, okay?"

"Okay," Jennifer said, smiling happily. "I'll let you get dressed Evan ... I'm sure you've got places you'd rather be."

"Yeah," Lorne agreed, waiting until she'd closed the door behind her before jumping up and quickly dressing. Raising his hand in a casual farewell, Evan quickly left the infirmary, heading straight for Prue's lab. It was early but he was guessing she'd already be hard at work. Instead he found the lab dark, no sign of his girlfriend anywhere. She wasn't in her quarters either, or in the mess hall. In fact, unless he was very much mistaken, Prue wasn't on Atlantis at all.

Heading up to the control room, Evan was relieved to find Chuck in residence. Lorne's relationship with Prue was still new enough that he felt uncomfortable opening himself up to comments like he was about to. Since Chuck had already copped an eyeful when Lorne had left for Earth, Evan was hoping there'd be none of that from the gate technician.

"Major," Chuck greeted him enthusiastically.

"How's it going?" Lorne replied, stopping beside the man's work station.

"Business as usual Sir," Chuck replied.

"Listen, I don't suppose you'd know whether Doctor Darnell was scheduled to go off world today?" Lorne asked casually.

Chuck frowned, obviously expecting Evan to know those sorts of things. "Yes Sir," he revealed. "She accompanied Captain Kennedy's team to M4R-322 - another research mission. It's been scheduled for a while Sir."

"Right," Lorne nodded, adding silently to himself "_one she neglected to tell me about yesterday_." "Thanks Chuck."

"No problem Sir," Chuck hesitated for a moment before speaking. "If you don't mind my saying so Sir, Doctor Darnell took your absence pretty hard. I ah, I was here when the SGC called in to tell us what happened. And yesterday Sir ... that was a pretty memorable exit from the gate. I think everyone except Doctor Darnell was frozen for a few seconds it was so unexpected."

"Not one of my better moments," Lorne agreed. "I didn't realise Prue saw that."

"The Gateroom was pretty busy sir," Chuck grinned. "Quite a few people found excuses to hang around because we knew you were coming back."

"Really?" Lorne was genuinely surprised.

"Yes Sir," Chuck replied sincerely.

"Wow, that's ah ... that's ... nice," Evan stuttered for something to say. He knew Colonel Sheppard was revered by the men - for his exploits, for his ability to come back when anyone else would have bought the farm, and for the way he led the military within the city. John wasn't your usual commanding officer and for the people they'd picked for Atlantis, that was a _good _thing. Lorne had just never stopped to think about how _he_ personally was regarded ... finding out people had been worried enough to hang around and see him return just hadn't crossed his mind. "Thanks ... for the information on Doctor Darnell's whereabouts too."

"You're welcome Sir," Chuck said, taking Lorne's nod of acknowledgement as his cue to turn back to his work.

Lorne thought for a moment and then went with his gut, making the Mess Hall his next destination. Colonel Sheppard was there, but instead of having breakfast with his team as Evan had been hoping, the city leaders were sharing a working breakfast together. All set to turn around and seek out his CO later, Lorne almost groaned when Doctor Weir caught his eye and motioned him over, a welcoming smile on her face.

"Major. It's good to see you back on your feet, especially after your rather spectacular return to the city yesterday."

"Not one of my better moments, "Lorne repeated the words he'd used with Chuck. "It's good to be back on my feet, Ma'am," he added.

"If you haven't had breakfast please join us," Elizabeth looked to Sheppard, getting an almost imperceptible nod of agreement. "I'd enjoy hearing your impressions after spending so much time at the SGC."

"I spent most of it in the infirmary, unconscious," Lorne quipped, talking a seat next to Sheppard reluctantly. Normally he'd have enjoyed the chance to talk to both leaders informally but he had other more pressing matters on his mind. "What can I tell you?" He thought for a moment. "Ah ... the I.O.A. were a little disappointed with my Puddle Jumper briefing," he looked at John. "You were right Sir, they were thinking reengineering a fleet of them would be a lot easier than my report suggested it was." He paused and then continued. "The Ori are still causing major problems ... thankfully the plague seems to be one attack they can't use anymore. That's taking most of the SGC's resources right now."

"And your family?" Elizabeth asked, conversationalist, diplomat, and just the level of caring she had for everyone working on Atlantis coming through in her interest..

"All well, thank you Ma'am," Lorne smiled. "I'll admit even with the unexpected ending I'd still have signed up for the trip home. With the Daedalus in orbit, travel time wasn't the factor it usually is."

"Ah yes," Elizabeth smiled. "Instantaneous transport wherever you want to go _does _have a certain appeal."

"It does Ma'am," Evan agreed. "What about here? Doctor Keller mentioned a general order to quarters last week."

"Not one of _our _better moments," Sheppard drawled, before proceeding to fill Lorne in on the whole subject of Michael. Lorne listened, keeping his expression bland even though inside he was incredulous at what had gone down while he'd been away. It wasn't hard to pick up on the disappointment at how their experiment to turn a Wraith into a human with Beckett's retrovirus had gone horribly wrong, nor the ethical dilemmas they'd faced during the entire four weeks the project had been ongoing.

"Where is Michael now?" Lorne asked.

"That's the thing Major," John admitted. "We have no idea, which makes him another potential threat. It's a sure bet he's already told all his Wraith buddies that the news of Atlantis's demise is severely exaggerated."

"I'm not sure the Wraith wouldn't already know that Sir," Lorne pointed out, explaining when John looked at him curiously, "uniforms, weapons - all pretty recognisable not to mention unique in these parts. There've been a few places we didn't have to even announce ourselves - didn't get a chance to trot out the cover story either."

"Talk amongst the locals doesn't necessarily equate to the Wraith knowing of our subterfuge," Elizabeth pointed out.

"No, and I don't think the locals I'm talking about would rat us out to the Wraith either," Lorne agreed. "But if we assume the Wraith have spies at various locations they could have overheard any number of conversations between our allies."

"The Major has a point," John agreed. "Things are different for the Wraith than they were a year ago - maybe they're too busy fighting amongst themselves to plan a combined attack on the city."

"Which just means we're in the same position we always were," Elizabeth concluded. "It's just a matter of time before they get their act together and come after the city again."

"Pretty much," John agreed. "But until they do its business as usual. If you're up to it Major, Carson gave you clearance to return to full duty."

"I'm up to it Sir," Lorne agreed. "Actually, that's what I wanted to talk to you about. How much did the SGC tell you about what happened on oh one three?"

"Doctor Jackson briefed us on the Ancient columns," Elizabeth replied. "He said you put a hand on one as part of some kind of test, and got an unexpected reaction."

"That about sums it up Ma'am," Lorne hesitated and then ploughed on. "I'm not sure if you've made the connection - between oh one three and what we found on M4R-322. Same columns, similar carvings - I haven't followed up on specifically what's written on ours but Daniel's convinced theirs document significant events - ones that have happened and ah ... one's that haven't."

"Fascinating," Weir looked at Evan with interest. "I assume they have the proof of events that have occurred post discovering the columns?"

"Yes Ma'am," Lorne returned. "Since a former US air force Colonel took over leadership of the local village they've collected plenty of evidence that these prophesies have some element of truth to them, although Daniel did point out that it's subject to interpretation."

"How does this relate to what happened to you Major?" Sheppard asked curiously.

"There was nothing there to tell us why I was struck down Sir," Lorne explained, skirting the need to mention that at least one of the prophesies had been about him – because he didn't believe it _and_ because he didn't _want_ to believe it. "General O'Neill touched the same column and he was fine. Daniel thought maybe the answer might be here on one of our columns."

Sheppard got a look in his eyes, an 'I see where you're going with this' amused expression but Lorne pressed on regardless. "I'd like permission to meet up with the team on three two two Sir. Perhaps Doctor Darnell will be able to find what we need to shed light on my ... situation." There was no point in pretending that Prue wasn't on the planet he'd requested to go to, nor that he expected to see her, so putting it into a work context and being up front was the best he could do.

"You're up to off world travel so soon?" Doctor Weir asked in surprise.

"To be honest I feel the same as I did before I left Ma'am," Lorne offered with a half smile. "Maybe I just needed to be back in the city to find my inner quiet. I'd really appreciate the chance to look into this sooner rather than later Sir."

John exchanged a glance with Elizabeth before nodding. "Off you go then."

"Thank you Sir," Evan got up quickly, intent on getting going before his CO could change his mind.

"Check in with Carson before you go Major," Elizabeth said firmly. Lorne looked at her for a moment before nodding reluctantly.

Lucky for Evan, Carson couldn't find any reason not to let him go off world. Lorne quickly radioed Coughlin, Reed and Cheung, his briskness leaving no room for comments on his quick exit from the infirmary. If they thought it strange that they were so quickly being called up for an offworld mission, only Coughlin was game enough to comment. When he suggested to Evan that perhaps someone who'd collapsed on the gate room floor the prior day shouldn't be going off world the next, Lorne just grinned, clapped Nate on the shoulder and told him Carson had given him approval.

An hour later Lorne was exiting the wormhole on to M4R-322, his team a step behind him. They bypassed the village, heading straight for the ruins Lorne had last been to when rescuing Prue and Kara, based on the intel from the man Kennedy had left at the gate. Not something Evan wanted to be thinking about right then ... although Prue was certainly on his mind. With Reed and Cheung walking point, the narrow path and the quiet lent an air of privacy that left Evan feeling like he could ask about something that had been bothering him.

"Can I ask you a question Nate?"

"Of course Sir," Coughlin replied immediately.

"Friend to friend," Evan insisted. "Can we just drop the Sir for a few minutes?"

"Ah ...," Nate frowned before giving his agreement, "okay."

"Chuck mentioned that Prue was in the control room when the SGC dialled in and reported on my condition," Evan began. "I need to know how bad it was."

"Prue thought you'd be there at the SGC, that you might get to say something - we _all _did," Nate admitted. "Instead General Landry said you'd collapsed, that you were in so much pain they didn't think your system could handle it. Colonel Sheppard questioned them pretty hard - what happened, where you'd been, what they were trying to do to help. He wanted to go to the SGC to investigate that planet further but General Landry refused permission. Said they'd look after you. To be honest it was all very grim - even I went away thinking they'd basically told us you were as good as dead."

"And Prue?" Evan asked in a low tone, turning to look at his 2IC.

"What do you want to know?" Nate shot back, frowning. "She took it badly enough that it was pretty clear to anyone who didn't already know that the two of you were more than just friends."

"Did she want to go back to Earth too?" It was the question that had bugged him since he'd woken in the SGC infirmary alone. Even though he'd known of Prue's reluctance to return to Earth, after reading her emails a part of him had wondered. Did she ask to be with him and get knocked back, or had she stuck to her refusal to return home?

"Come on Evan," Nate protested. "You _really_ want me to answer that?"

"Yeah, but not for the reasons you're thinking," Lorne replied. "She's got something in her past that's still an issue Nate. Something that I think means she has a problem going back to Earth. It's not conclusive but ...," Evan stopped, feeling the heat rising in his face as he realised what he was implying. That if anything would get Prue to Earth it'd be if he was in danger. "You know what I mean," he said hurriedly.

"Okay," Nate smirked, enjoying his CO's embarrassment since that side of Lorne was rarely on display. "To answer your question, Colonel Sheppard _did _offer to make a case for her to return to the SGC - said you should have someone there who cared about you, just in case. She didn't say anything, just gave him this kind of tortured look and then ran off. I followed her because I knew you'd want someone to look after her but by the time I found her she was acting like nothing was wrong. Told me she'd done what she could and that the rest was in the hands of the Ancestors."

"What does that mean?" Lorne muttered, frowning.

"No idea," Nate laughed suddenly. "You two really do belong together - sometimes she's just as strange as you are!"

"Not everyone's an open book like you," Evan retorted, but his heart wasn't in it. He was distracted, thinking about the implications; even more determined that as soon as he could reasonably consider them both off duty he was going to talk to Prue.

**Authors Note:**

Apologies there was a delay in posting this week ... this is a bit of a nothing chapter actually, so the wait probably wasn't worth it! But there will be more as soon as I can manage it. I will say though that if I don't get something posted on Sunday night it will be Thursday before I can do anything because I'll be away from my computer for work Monday through Wednesday. Thanks for your patience.


	26. Intimate Inferno

**Chapter 26: Intimate Inferno**

After a long and now familiar walk through the forest Lorne and his team arrived at the Ancient site. It was large enough that for a moment it looked deserted, but then Lorne heard the sounds of talking off towards the edge of the ruins.

"Kennedy?" he called out, his team following behind him.

"Sir?" The Captain sounded surprised. "Is something wrong?" he asked, moving out into the open.

"At ease Captain," Lorne said reassuringly. "We're not here for you ... I do need to speak with Doctor Darnell though."

"_Evan_?" Prue walked from behind a column, frowning. "What are you doing here? Why aren't you in the infirmary?"

"Carson released me so I could follow up on what happened on P88-013," Lorne said matter-of-factly. "Since you're here already maybe you could help me out."

"Maybe," Prue moved forward, a small smile now playing over her face. "What are you looking for exactly?"

"Coughlin, Reed, set up camp," Evan ordered. His team occupied, he urged Prue to walk with him. "I'm not sure what I'm looking for," he admitted. "Have you translated enough of these to know what they represent?" he nodded towards the nearest columns.

"They talk of significant events, much like the ones on P88-013," Prue said. "We don't have evidence like we did from King Arkon to prove their authenticity but some of them tell of pretty key events that post date when the columns were carved."

"Like what?"

"Here," Prue took his hand and led him through the trees to a column at the very edge of the outer circle. "At the beginning of the eleventh millennia," she translated, "the great city will return from its hidden depths, and awaken will the scourge of the galaxy."

"Colonel Sheppard waking the _Wraith _is mentioned?" Evan narrowed his eyes at the stone.

"I believe so, yes," Prue agreed simply.

"Is there some kind of order to these, like a time line or something?" Lorne glanced around at what looked to him like a random arrangement of stones.

"No, and there are a lot of words carved on each stone, some in very early dialects I still don't have a reliable translation for," Prue sighed. "It's going to take us a long time to make sense of this, let alone work out how we can use the information to our advantage."

"What about self fulfilling prophesies?" Evan stopped, leaning against a tree and folding his arms over his chest.

"You mean knowledge of a coming event influencing how you behave, so much that you _make _that event happen?" Prue looked thoughtful. "You think that if we read of events that haven't happened yet we'll be so convinced they're going to come true that we'll change the way we react?"

"Something like that," Evan agreed.

"The statements I've translated so far are all big events, some of them acts of nature," Prue revealed. "I don't see how mere human behaviour could have ever influenced them. Knowledge that they were going to happen could have been used to evacuate people sooner - it would have saved lives." She watched him thinking it over for a moment and then moved closer, putting her hands over his folded forearms. "So, what did the column say?"

"What column?" Lorne asked innocently.

"The one that has you worried you're going to make something happen simply because you heard it," Prue said pointedly. "You might as well tell me because I won't let up until you do."

Evan met her eyes, his suddenly lacking that sparkle they usually had. "Look, I'm not sure I even believe all this, but from what Daniel translated, at some point my death is going to save the ascended Ancients."

"_What_?" Prue let go abruptly, stepping back, her expression stoney shock and fear in equal parts. "Tell me exactly what it said!"

"I can't remember it word for word Prue," Evan protested. "And getting thrown into next week kind of put what I might have been able to recall out of my head."

"Can you just try?" Prue asked, her voice low.

"Okay," Evan watched her as he thought. "Ah ... at the end of some cycle, can't remember the number, the one from a distant world will return ... ah ... signalling the end for the enlightened. Only with the ultimate sacrifice will the good guys win. Daniel said the enlightened are the ascended ancients, and the sacrifice means death."

"And he thinks you're the one from a distant world?" Prue concluded, her expression troubled.

"Ah, yeah, because of what happened the first time I was there," Lorne shrugged. "This was before I knew I had the ATA gene. I went with Daniel because Colonel Maybourne had something he wanted to show General O'Neill. Turned out to be some kind of pyramid thing which I accidentally turned on and then had to switch off again before it blew up the entire village. After Daniel grilled Maybourne, he admitted to setting things up because of something he read on one of those columns."

"Can you remember what that one said?"

"Same reference to a cycle, then one from a distant world will come and with some guys pyramid claim the power of the Ancestors," Lorne shrugged again. "As far as they've mapped out their timeline there, it was about right and the pyramid did kind of announce to everyone that I had the gene."

"I don't understand," Prue muttered, turning away and wrapping her arms around her middle. "Why would they have foreseen your death? It makes no sense!" She paced back and forth, her expression telling Evan that her brain was going a mile a minute.

"Who are they?" he demanded.

"What?" Prue looked startled, blinking repeatedly.

"You said why would _they _have foreseen my death," Lorne repeated. "Who are they?"

"The people who carved these columns," Prue said. "I've never seen the death of an individual referenced specifically. These are history shaping events Evan."

"Maybe Daniel has it wrong," Evan suggested. He grimaced suddenly, remembering some additional words from the first prophesy. _Fate of galaxies_ ... that did have a history shaping sound to it. Shaking of that thought Evan continued. "Just in case he doesn't, have you seen any reference to 'one from a distant world' on the columns you _have_ looked at?"

"Not so far, but we've barely scratched the surface," Prue admitted.

"Well, keep an eye out for it," Lorne requested. "Specifically anything about a test being able to confirm who it's referring to."

"Is that what happened?" Prue's gaze sharpened. "They _tested _you?"

"There's that 'they' again," Lorne protested. "Look, I'm guessing that yes, some kind of test was attached to that column. I want to know what, why and who. I'm hoping something you find here will tell me."

"I'll keep looking," Prue promised earnestly. "Can you tell me what happened ... when they tested you I mean?"

"Ah," Evan took her hand, urging her to walk with him again. "It was all a little 'out of this world' – out of _any_ world," he began. "The column with the prophesy Daniel says is about me had a note at the bottom about proving who it was talking about. General O'Neill came, put his hand on it, nothing happened."

"But when you touched the column?" Prue asked.

"I got slammed into the dirt," Evan replied. "Felt like something was trying to rip me apart from the inside." He shook his head. "I have no idea what it wanted but it felt like something real to me. Doctor Lam thinks it was trying to rewrite my DNA – specifically the ATA gene. If it had succeeded there'd be no more Puddle Jumper flying for me."

Prue looked pale and troubled ... and angry, although not at him. "This is unacceptable," she muttered, turning to pace away from him.

"Something carved by a bunch of people long dead is apparently predicting my death and you label it 'unacceptable'?" Lorne queried incredulously, folding his arms over his chest. "Gee thanks ... _honey_." His sarcastic tone and disgruntled expression made it clear he didn't mean that title as an endearment.

Prue turned abruptly, her eyes shooting to his. "Oh God, I'm sorry," she rushed forward, grabbing one of his arms and tugging insistently. Evan resisted for a moment but then, with a sigh, relented, letting her shift him until she could retake his hand. When she tugged again he let her urge him into continuing their walk through the trees. "You're right," she said, walking close enough to hug his arm to her side. "I'm not being very girlfriendy, am I?"

"Girlfriendy?" Evan smirked. "You're a linguist and that's the best you can do?"

"Shut up," she slapped his shoulder impatiently. "You know what I mean. I'm just ... this scares me Evan. I can't ... I won't stand by and watch something happen to you. I want to understand, but I feel like half the puzzle has been erased and we're trying to solve it with what's left, with no big picture to guide us."

"I know how _that _is," Evan said pointedly, refusing to feel guilty when she shot him a pained look, her face paling. Just because he'd decided to give her time and space didn't mean he had to keep quiet about not liking the deal she'd forced him into. Although, really, _she _hadn't forced him into anything. He'd gone there willingly all by himself just for the chance to be with her ... because clearly he enjoyed frustrating himself with what he couldn't have and denying himself what he could. "_You are one messed up soldier_," he told himself ruefully.

"We need to translate everything here as soon as possible," Prue announced decisively, her mind still on the threat to Evan posed by the prophesies. "Once we have everything, maybe an alternative interpretation or a way to stop these events from happening will emerge."

"My team is here overnight," Lorne revealed. "Anything we can do to help?"

"You guys are good at directions, right?"

"If by guys you mean men in general then yes, we are good at directions," Evan smirked, amused when she shook her head at him. "Right, you mean my guys specifically. Okay, forget Reed - the directions gene passed him up big time. Nate is passable, Jimmy's pretty good. I, of course, always know exactly where I am."

"Of course," Prue smiled up at him. "If what you say is accurate and not just grandstanding meant to impress me, then yes you can help me. I need a complete map of this entire site to document where all the columns are located. We couldn't do anything GPS related because of the tree cover and it's been tough going with all these trunks interspersing the stones. Once I have that, constructing a time line will be that much easier."

"We can help you with that," Lorne promised. "I'll radio Atlantis, check in, and then we're all yours."

Prue smiled. "I like the sound of that."

* * *

Both teams worked well in tandem, getting lots of work done before the light fell too much and Lorne called it done for the day. The weather had shifted and it was cold under the trees, leading to the unanimous decision to make the hour walk to the village rather than stay at the site.

Teneo and his granddaughter welcomed them like family, insisting they all stay with them. Kara quickly added places to the table, urging them to sit down for the evening meal. After eating, Reed and Cheung took first watch, leaving the others off duty. Coughlin went one further, insisting that Evan wouldn't need to take a watch that night, especially since he'd just returned from weeks spent in the infirmary. Lorne had reluctantly agreed – with Kennedy's team there as well there were plenty of people to cover all watch periods.

He should have gone inside, tried to get some sleep, but his mind was too active for that. Pleading the need to stretch his legs he took a torch and walked through the village, continuing towards a small rise he'd noticed the first time they'd been there.

It was further away than he remembered but when he got there and looked up at the clear view of the sky above, well worth the trip. Lying down in the grass Evan looked up, letting his mind wonder where it willed as he looked for recognisable shapes amongst the stars. He was half drifting to the sound of blades of grass rustling in the wind, his mind on everything _but _the changing landscape of cloud rushing in to shut out the starlight, when the first drop hit him square in the forehead, followed quickly by several more.

Rain.

While he'd been daydreaming a storm had come in on that wind. Cursing, Evan jumped up and ran back down towards the village.

The rain was heavy, soaking him through before he'd gotten half way. It was getting dangerous too, the ground quickly turning to mud that he slipped and slid through. When he got back to the village he was panting, dripping water and looking like something the cat wouldn't bother to drag in.

Not wanting to cop flack from Reed or Cheung, Lorne skirted the outermost dwellings, heading for Teneo's back porch.

"Evan?" Prue's voice froze him in place.

"Hey," he said, turning and slicking his hair back from his face, water running down one cheek and dripping from his eyelashes. "Nice weather we're having huh?" he added nonchalantly.

"You went out in _that_?" Prue asked pointedly. She was sitting on a bench against the wall, watching the rain.

"Of course not," Evan shot back, moving closer. "I went out _before _it started raining."

"Well, you can't go inside like that," Prue said insistently, gesturing to where he was creating a muddy puddle on the floor, his boots caked in dirt.

"Is that an invitation for me to strip?" Lorne raised a brow suggestively.

"Not in the way you mean!" Prue glared up at him impatiently.

"That's a pity," Evan said in a low tone. She was right though - he couldn't go inside the way he was. Turning away he slowly unbuttoning his shirt to reveal the t-shirt he wore underneath, also mostly saturated. Pealing the shirt from his arms he dropped it to the porch with a wet splat and then pulled the bottom of his t-shirt from his pants. Looking for a relatively dry patch he bent low, wiping at his wet face.

Prue made a small sound, a kind of gasp that caught Evan's attention.

When he looked back to her he caught her with a look on her face that went straight to his groin ... desire. Her eyes were wide and she'd leaned forward from her seat, watching him silently. She was taking in his body, sculpted by wet fabric to reveal every muscle, her gaze fixed on the hints of stomach and abdomen he'd exposed. The invisible connection between them drew him closer until he was kneeling in front of her, raising a hand to stroke her hair.

"Do you have any idea how much I want to muss you up right now Prue?" he asked, threading a hand behind her head and cupping it gently.

The rain pounded outside, thick enough to veil them on the porch. The sound of it created an intimacy too, drowning out the noises that might have reminded them of others still awake inside. In the sudden cold their breath misted into the air, mingling as it rose and then faded.

Without a word Prue reached behind her, quickly pulling hair pins and dropping them carelessly to the floor. She watched as Evan responded to the gesture, his eyes on her hair as he drew it between his fingers, caressing away the curls left over from her usual style until it fell low on her back.

"It's a start," Evan murmured, using his clasp on her head to draw her to him.

When he kissed her something inside both of them snapped. She leapt into his arms as he caught her, staggering to his feet, both of them already spinning until they slammed into the wall. Prue wrapped her legs around him, her hands in his hair, oblivious to the chill from his wet clothes or the fact that he was making her clothes damp too. Evan devoured her mouth as he wanted to possess her body, branding her as his with teeth and tongue and the fire of his passion. She was with him all the way, equally intent on wiping every rational thought from his head.

When she tugged at his t-shirt he made room for her to peel it off him, raising his arms when she ran her hands over him. The shirt hit the deck with another wet splat, forgotten when Evan pulled Prue back to him, shivering as her hands clutched at his bare back. They should have been cold but Lorne was flushed with the internal heat of desire for Prue.

"Your pants," she muttered between kisses. "Wet," she gave the one word explanation distractedly, surging up against him enough that there was no way he could hide how much he wanted her.

"Right," Evan set her to her feet, dropped to untie his boots, ripping them off and tossing them aside. When he moved his hands to the fastening on his pants hers were already there, unbuttoning and then sliding her hands under the waistband to cup his ass. The heat from her hands seared him and shot his pulse sky high. "You're killing me here," he ground out, trying to keep enough control to make it memorable for both of them.

"Don't care," she muttered, jerking him closer in a gesture that screamed of need.

It got a little blurry after that - his pants falling to the ground beneath him, cool breezes gusting over his bare legs coupled with her fingers ghosting over his skin, his decision that he needed to equal his lack of clothing by stripping her down to her underwear too. He had just enough presence of mind to utter in one word the need to protect her, everything in him relieved beyond measure when she reassured him that she had it covered already.

"Prue," he whispered her name, lifting her and supporting her weight against the wall wth his own strength, gentle this time.

"Evan," she whispered, pulling back to smile at him. "Are you finally going to give in and do the deed?" she teased, her eyes shining up at him.

"We're going to make love until we can't see straight," Evan promised in return.

"Love?" she asked wistfully.

"Oh, hell yes," Evan grinned, raining kisses across her lips and down her neck.

It wasn't how he'd imagined it because never would he have envisaged them off world getting intimate together on a rain shrouded porch ... his fantasies had all run to a more conventional setting that included a comfortable bed and a long slow seduction. Far from that, the two of them, up against a wall, fast and furious, was about as perfect as it got.

* * *

They spent the night on the porch, listening to the storm rage itself across the landscape until finally all was quiet again. His clothes dry enough that he could ignore any discomfort, Lorne sat on the bench with his back to the wall, Prue resting against his chest. He had his arms around her, both of them needed a physical connection to go along with the continuation of intimacy created by just talking. The focus was on the simple things, what they liked about Atlantis, the easy staff and the ones who were a challenge to work with. Movies, music ... his passion for art and hers for books ... the sun was close to rising before the conversation turned to family.

Evan started out slow, telling Prue about his visit to his sister.

"I don't know how Elaine does it," he said after describing his first day there. "Seriously, I don't remember being that tired even after the most gruelling mission. Jon could give Ronon a run for his money on energy levels _and_ talk McKay into the ground at the same time."

"You love them," Prue said softly, turning so her cheek rested over his heart.

"Yeah," Evan smiled. "From a kid's point of view life is just so straight forward, you know? No pretence - if they love you there's no way you won't know it, but they let you know pretty quick if you mess it up too. You know where you stand. I like that."

"You would," Prue leaned up and kissed him firmly.

"What was that for?" Evan asked, bemused.

"You're just so ... nice ... so honourable," she replied.

"Oh," Evan hoped he wasn't a red as he felt. Silly to be embarrassed by her compliment but he was. He let the silence build for a few minutes and then took things where he'd wanted them to go from the moment he first mentioned his family. "What about you Prue? Do you have family back home?"

"This is home to me Evan," she said.

"Yeah, okay, I get that," Evan replied. "Doesn't mean you don't have things - people - back on Earth to miss."

Prue remained silent for long enough that he was about to press her for some kind of response. "Tell me about your Mom," she requested softly.

"My Mom?" Evan's brow rose in surprise. "Ah, okay, sure," he thought for a moment. What could he say about his Mom? "She's strong ... had to be, raising two children by herself." He sighed. "My Dad was killed in an accident when I was ten."

"Oh _Evan_," Prue's arms tightened over his, her tone an expression of sadness on his behalf.

"It was tough, for all of us," Evan continued. "She kept us together as a family, taught art at a local college ... taught Elaine and me the values I still live by."

"She sounds amazing," Prue said, her voice low, sad.

"She is," Evan agreed. "She has that Mom way of making everything seem a little easier to bear ... still has the power to make me feel like a naughty kid too."

"It's been a long time since I had that. Where I came from is nothing like your family," Prue turned her head so Evan couldn't see her expression. "There's expectation I guess you'd call it, that you'll do what you're told, be what they want you to be, nothing more, nothing less."

"And if you're not?" Evan asked gently.

Prue stiffened and pulled away. He let her go because he had to, watching as she got up, folding her arms over her chest. "There is no choice," she said roughly.

"There's always a choice Prue," Evan countered, getting to his feet and taking her arms. He felt close to finally understanding a key element of her and it drove him to persist despite his earlier resolve to give her space. "Aren't you here in the Pegasus galaxy right now because you made a choice?"

"You make it sound simple Evan, but it isn't," Prue looked at him, her expression pained.

"Then tell me how it is," he demanded abruptly.

"I can't," Prue cried, pulling her arms free and turning away.

"No, Prue," Evan said forcefully. "That isn't the way it works anymore, not after last night. I'm not just some guy anymore."

"I knew this would happen!" Prue glared up at him. "We had sex Evan, end of story."

"It was more than that and you know it," he shot back, echoes from the past driving his anger up rapidly. "I love you Prue. Those aren't just words to me."

"You don't even know me Evan!" That was pain, not unfeeling carelessness, and it had his anger dropping away abruptly.

"I _do_," Evan insisted, leaning down to let her see the certainty in his eyes. "I do know you Prue. You're opinionated and stubborn and mysterious to the point it's driving me crazy not being able to understand all of you. And you're smart ... more than I want to think about most of the time." He lifted a hand and trailed the back of his fingers down her cheek, smiling. "You're strong and dedicated and willing to work every hour of the day to do what you say you'll do. You're a beautiful person Prue, inside and out, even with that prickly, stubborn shell you've built around yourself." He took a composing breath and then finished it. "Every thought I have about the future has you in it now ... and I want nothing more than to take away the pain I can see inside you right now." He cupped her face in his hands. "I can help you Prue, if you'll let me."

"Oh God, why did you have to be so damned ... perfect?" Prue almost spat the word out, making it clear it wasn't a compliment. Stepping off the porch she looked up at the sky, stretching out her arms imploringly. "I can't do this anymore," she shouted. "I can't!" Looking straight at Evan she shuddered. "I love you Evan Lorne, enough to know that I'm no good for you. Run now, before I hurt you."

With that she spun away, breaking into a run.

"Prue, wait!" Evan shot after her, rounding the house and almost crashing into Teneo. Grabbing the old man's arms he just barely managed to stop both of them from tumbling into the dirt. "Teneo! Sorry. I was just ...,"

"Giving your friend some space?" Teneo suggested quietly.

"I ah ...," Evan's shoulders dropped as he mentally acknowledged the other man's message. There was no point in pushing Prue. "You're right," he said on a sigh.

"Sometimes the course of love isn't as smooth as we would like it to be," Teneo offered that piece of wisdom with a hand to Lorne's shoulder.

"In this case I have to agree," Lorne frowned. "Prue's not ... she's not what I expected at all." "_And wasn't that the understatement of the year_," he thought ruefully.

"But she's what you want," Teneo finished with a fond smile.

"Yeah," Evan laughed. "Most days I feel like its one step forward and about a hundred steps back."

"An apt description," Teneo agreed. "Perhaps you would care to join me for breakfast Evan?"

"Sure, thanks," Lorne agreed. He knew Teneo would claim old age as an excuse and then ask too many questions about Prue but for once Evan didn't think he'd even mind. As far as distractions went, the old man had a way of keeping you on your toes!

* * *

Leaving Teneo straight after breakfast Lorne had the guys guarding the gate dial Atlantis for the morning check-in, expecting things on Atlantis to be as he'd left them the day before.

"Major Lorne, I need you to return to Atlantis as soon as possible," Doctor Weir told him the instance the signal was established.

"Yes Ma'am. Is there a problem I need to be aware of before I get there?"

"There are no current threats to the city Major," Weir replied. "We received a distress call from Taranis just after you left yesterday. The details aren't important save for the fact that their settlement is under threat from an active volcano."

Warning bells went off in Evan's head and he stiffened, waiting for what he knew was coming next.

"The volcano is in the process of erupting – I only just made it back with some of the Taranans," Elizabeth continued. "The wormhole shut down unexpectedly and we've been unable to re-establish a connection."

"Let me guess Ma'am," Lorne spoke up. "Colonel Sheppard and his team are still on the planet."

"Yes," Weir confirmed. "And Doctor Beckett. The Daedalus has already been diverted to Taranis to continue the evacuation. I have Chancellor Lycus of Taranis here ... we haven't received word from Colonel Caldwell as yet. In any case, in Colonel Sheppard's absence you're in command of the military."

"Yes Ma'am. I'm on my way but it'll take me at least a couple of hours to get to the gate."

"Understood Major," Elizabeth replied. "We'll see you when you get here."

Closing the channel, Evan quickly radioed his team to meet him at Teneo's, before trying to contact Prue.

"I'm busy Major," she said quickly.

"Don't do that Prue," Evan protested. "Look, I'm not trying to start up our conversation from before, okay. Doctor Weir has requested my team return immediately."

"What happened?" Prue's voice shifted into concern.

"Colonel Sheppard's team and half a population of locals are on the wrong side of a volcano with no Stargate," Evan summarised grimly. "Where are you anyway?"

"I decided to get an early start at the site," Prue admitted. "Captain Kennedy's with me and Kara too."

"Right," Evan sighed. "Listen, there's no reason for you to cut short your time here. Just do what the Captain tells you, okay?"

"Of course." Lorne was sure she was rolling her eyes at his caution.

"_Of course_," he repeated, drawing it out. "We'll talk when you get back."

There was silence and he shook his head ... how had something that had been going pretty damn fantastic nose dived into the silent treatment? "Prue?" he queried insistently.

"Fine," she said ungraciously.

"Be careful," he ordered, all set to end the transmission.

"Evan! Wait!" Prue said, her voice shifting from all business to filled with remorse. "I'm sorry I ran off like that. Just ... be careful too."

Before he could reply she'd ended the call herself, leaving him standing there, frown firmly in place.

"Major?" Coughlin called him back to himself with a start.

"Sergeant, sorry," he ran a hand through his hair, agitated. "Doctor Weir needs us back in Atlantis."

"We're all set to go," Nate confirmed.

Nodding, Evan led the way through the village, stopping to ask someone to let Teneo know they'd been called back but that Doctor Darnell and her team were staying.

"Trouble in paradise Sir?" Coughlin asked, something in the way Lorne said Prue's name suggesting there was.

Lorne shot him a narrow eyed gaze and remained silent, neither confirming nor denying his 2ICs conclusion. He was tired after a night of no sleep, something he was noticing now that the rush of energy he'd felt in finally being with Prue had faded.

"It'll be worth it in the end Sir," Nate offered that positive perspective, having rightly made up his own mind on the most likely answer to his question.

"It had better be," Evan murmured grimly. With the threat to Colonel Sheppard, Evan was no longer in the mood to be contemplating the various ways he'd screwed up with Prue since arriving on the planet. There'd be time enough for those thoughts once the current crisis was over.

**Authors Note:**

Big chapter here ... with lots of progress in some respects. You have _no _idea how much I'm now curbing the desire to justify the various actions of our favourite major! I'm sticking with this being my vision and trusting that you'll just enjoy my take on Lorne.


	27. Banking the fire

**Chapter 27: Banking the fire.**

With Colonel Sheppard absent it was Lorne's job to stand in his place and he did so with a firm focus that didn't allow room for personal concerns. Part of him _was _stewing on the fact that Prue was back on three two two and that she'd been unwilling to open up to him, but it was all under the surface, subconscious stuff.

He'd gotten so good at taking care of things on Atlantis that it hardly crossed his mind to wish he could be on the Daedalus helping with the evacuation. What he did was important, more so this time because those who'd made it through the gate needed to be settled, and many of them were understandably upset. When the Daedalus returned from the first trip and beamed down more people, things got a little crazy – they just didn't have one place to put so many and had to separate them between two locations.

"Excuse me, Maj-or?"

Lorne looked up from the list of refugees compiled by one of the other teams to see an older woman standing in front of him.

"Major Lorne, Ma'am. Is there something I can help you with?" he queried, his expression receptive.

"A young man spoke to us a while ago," the woman explained. "He was making a record of who was here?"

"That's right," Evan turned the screen so she could see. "Are you looking for someone in particular Ma'am?"

"My son," the woman said in a rush, meeting Evan's eyes with a hopeful look.

"What's his name?"

"Mica," she watched as Evan scanned his list. "Mica Tarpen?"

Lorne looked at each name carefully and then shook his head regretfully. "I'm sorry Ma'am. He's not listed here right now, but don't worry okay. This is just the first group our ship has evacuated. More people will be coming back on its next trip."

The woman nodded but stayed where she was, seemingly unable to decide what to do next.

"Ma'am, can I ask your name?" Lorne queried, knowing he couldn't just leave her standing there.

"Hestel – Hes – Tarpen," she replied, eyes tracking the people around her anxiously.

"Is there anyone else you could wait with Hes?" Evan kept his tone gentle and open.

"Josta?"

Lorne felt relief when he found a Josta Pol only a few names from the top of the newly added names. "He's here," Evan held out his arm, patting the woman's when she clutched his elbow tightly. "We'll go and find him right now, okay. And you have my word that as soon as I get the list for the next group I'll look for your son."

"Thank you," Hes smiled. "You're a nice boy Major."

Lorne chuckled. "It's been a long time since anyone called me a boy Ma'am."

"It depends on where you stand Major," Hes said sagely. "You appear to be younger than my own son," she let out a rushed breath at the reminder of her uncertainty over his safety, before making an effort to smile up at Evan.

"Well then, I'll just say thank you for the compliment," Lorne replied, leading Hes into the second room where refugees were ranged out waiting for word of what would happen next. "Can you see Josta anywhere?"

Hes looked and then nodded eagerly. "Over there Major, in the corner."

"Okay, I'll escort you over there," Evan gently urged Hes to walk through the crowd.

"You have people on Taranis too?" Hes asked as they walked.

"Yeah, my commanding officer and his team, and our chief medical officer," Lorne admitted. "It's hard not to worry, isn't it?" he said with empathy.

"Yes," Hes replied. "Yes it is."

"Hes!" the man who must be Josta rushed forward and gathered the older woman into his arms. "I am so happy to see you already safe. We were so worried!"

"I'll leave you to catch up Ma'am," Lorne put a hand to the woman's shoulder to get her attention.

"Thank you Major," she gave Evan a small smile, her worry for her son still clearly evident.

"Don't worry – I'm sure I'll be coming back to talk to you soon about your son," Lorne promised. He couldn't guarantee it of course but there was no point in reminding Hes of what she already knew. Being positive was never a bad thing ... there was always time enough to begin handling it if the news didn't turn out well.

* * *

The following hours, passing too slowly, were more of the same – reassuring people who couldn't sleep for fear of what bad news they'd hear when they awoke, or worse what they'd dream while asleep. And who could blame them? If MacKay was right, (and how likely was it that he wasn't?) then these people had lost their home, their entire planet. When the volcano blew it would make Taranis unliveable for a very long time to come.

It had been about six hours since the Daedalus headed back to Taranis for a second group of refugees when Doctor Weir came to see Evan with a man she introduced as Chancellor Lycus, leader of the Taranan people.

"Major Lorne has been assisting in settling and reassuring your people Chancellor," Elizabeth explained.

"Then I thank you Major," Lycus said simply.

"It's been a tough day for everyone Chancellor," Lorne offered. "I don't envy you the task ahead but you have a great group of people here. Resilient, positive ... the kind of spirit you'll need to rebuild."

"We are a strong community," Lycus gave Evan a half smile of gratitude.

"It's rebuilding that I wanted to talk to you about Major," Doctor Weir began. "If Doctor McKay's predictions prove accurate then the Chancellor and his people will be unable to return to their homes for a significant period. Regardless of the outcome it makes sense for us to plan with that contingency in mind. I'd like you to confer with Doctor Zelenka on a suitable planet for relocation and then take your team to confirm it will suffice."

"Yes Ma'am," Lorne acknowledged. "I'll have someone work out resource requirements and check our available stores and what was due in on the Daedalus as well – we can prepare a plan for when Colonel Caldwell gets here."

"Very good Major," Elizabeth smiled appreciatively. "The Chancellor and I will leave you to it – come and see me when you have a list of possibilities."

Nodding, Lorne watched them walk away, the Chancellor stopping frequently to talk to his people as Elizabeth escorted him back towards the entrance.

"Radek, its Lorne. You got a minute?" he radioed the scientist briskly.

"Of course Major," Radek replied. "You require something?"

"Yeah, help with finding our refugees a new place to live," Evan summarised. "Meet me in the control room."

"On my way," Radek agreed.

* * *

"What about this one?" Evan pointed to one of the planets on their list.

"The average temperature is listed as sixty degrees Fahrenheit," Radek pushed his glassed up on his nose as he squinted at the screen. "Taranis average was closer to one hundred."

"So they'll get a little cold," Lorne shrugged. "We're kind of scrapping the barrel here Radek."

"We can expand beyond planets within the same region Major ... or there is M5O-812."

"Okay, tell me about that one," Evan requested.

"Average temperature is lower than their home planet but within acceptable range, yes?" Radek began. "Terrain has similarities. Best of all it is some distance from the route's Wraith ships most often take."

"So it won't be a stopping point for mid trip culling," Lorne concluded.

"No, although Wraith behaviour has been less predictable of late," Radek glanced around the control room and then shifted to speak confidentially. "This lone hive ship on approach is puzzling, no?"

"What lone ... we have a Wraith ship heading for the city?" Evan demanded in a low tone.

"Yes, three weeks out," Radek looked surprised. "Doctor Weir did not tell you?"

"Briefing the senior staff wouldn't have been on the top of her list of priorities," Lorne pointed out. "Especially since half her senior staff are still stuck on a doomed planet."

"Yes, this is a good point," Radek nodded.

"One hive ship," Lorne mused. "A scout maybe? If we're right and they have spies enough to have heard rumours about our movements throughout the galaxy, then they'd send someone to see if Atlantis is still here."

"It makes sense to take that approach, yes," Radek agreed. "The Wraith are not known for good sense though."

"No, so it's really anyone's guess what they want," Lorne shook his head. "That's a danger that's still three weeks away though. Getting these people a place to stay is something we need to do right now."

"M5O-812?" Radek suggested again.

Lorne looked at the summary on the screen and the small image included from the database. It looked idyllic in many respects, a nice forest of trees, twin mountains in the distance, large field of grassland in between. "Seismic activity?"

"Nothing mentioned," Radek shifted in his seat, looking at Lorne. "Well?"

"It'll do," Lorne decided. "Go tell Doctor Weir – I'll get my team moving on bringing in some supplies. You wanna come along when we head out Radek, help us check it out?"

"No thank you Major," Radek gave an exaggerated shudder. "I prefer to stay here where it is safe and free from zły dzieci – naughty children," he added when Evan looked puzzled. "After M7G-677 I decided Atlantis is the place for me."

"Fair enough," Lorne stood. "Thanks for your help Doctor," he said.

"Good luck Major," Radek replied.

* * *

Lorne's team cruised the area around the gate in a Puddle Jumper, going out as far as half a day's travel by foot, looking for obvious signs of trouble. All they found were plenty of trees and that wide field of grass leading up to the mountains. Evan accessed the scanners, looking for anything less obvious.

"There's something down there, in that field," he narrowed his eyes. "A large space below the ground. No life signs though. I'm taking us down there for a closer look."

"Ex Genii maybe?" Coughlin suggested as Lorne landed the Jumper in the open grassland. Grabbing the handheld scanner Evan led the way outside, consulting the instrument reading before choosing a direction to walk in.

"It's not Ancient," he said decisively ... even without any kind of energy reading it was something that Evan just knew. "Could be left over from another race though, like those people Doctor Beckett helped with that vaccine."

"The Hoffans Sir?" Reed asked.

"Yeah, them," Evan agreed. "If one civilisation can develop enough to build the kind of city they had, no reason why others couldn't as well."

"True," Nate agreed.

The soil and grass had overgrown whatever was underneath but with the aid of ancient technology Evan was able to locate a trapdoor still mostly accessible. A bit of ad hoc 'gardening' and they'd made an opening and were peering down into a dark corridor. Again Lorne took the lead, climbing down the ladder and moving aside to allow room for the rest of the team.

It was cold and dark and the dust was heavy in the air. Switching the light on his P-90 on, Lorne shone it forwards, the beam reflecting off the walls of a long corridor. They were on an open balcony of sorts – one of what looked like at least three similar levels. It put him in mind of a prison – a large multi-level central area and then the open walkways with closed doors at regular intervals. Each had a small window located high up ... the kind that could be used to check on the occupants without having to open the door.

"Whatever this place is, whoever built this, they're long gone," he observed.

"Do we need to check out the whole facility, Sir?" Coughlin asked.

"Just to be sure, yeah," Evan replied, unwilling to risk the safety of the Taranans given the loss they'd already suffered on their own world. The team continued along the walkway, checking inside rooms at every door they came to, until they'd reached the stairs at the end. "Reed, you're with me. Nate, take Jimmy and see what's on the next level up. Radio me before you go up another level. Dan and I will take the lower ones."

The team split into two pairs, Coughlin and Cheung jogging up the stairs while Lorne and Reed ran down them. The sound of the other team's movements could be clearly heard, their torches bouncing light off the grey concrete walls.

"It's a shame, isn't it Sir," Reed commented.

"That this place is abandoned?" Lorne queried. "Given it probably means whoever built this is no longer around, yeah it _is_ a shame. Makes you wonder what these people could have achieved if the Wraith weren't continually culling everyone back to pre industrial status."

It took a while but eventually they'd completed a quick inspection of the entire structure, enough to satisfy Lorne that it was safe to send the Taranans there to live.

"Okay, let's head back and give Chancellor Lycus the good news," Lorne advised.

* * *

There was good news _for_ Evan on their return to Atlantis. Rodney McKay had come through again, fixing the Ancient ship, Hippaforalkus, and bringing with him the remaining Taranans. They were still a long way from being reunited with their people on Atlantis though ... and still had a large amount of work to do to create anything approaching what Taranis had been.

"Major Lorne," Doctor Weir greeted him with an expectant look.

"M5O-812 checks out Ma'am," Lorne reported, falling into step with Elizabeth as they walked up the steps to the Control Room. "There's evidence of a prior civilisation but no signs of any human activity for a long time."

"Well done Major," Elizabeth smiled, relieved. "I'll just inform Chancellor Lycus."

Nodding she quickly moved off to do just that, leaving Lorne at a loose end. Given the news though there _was _one thing he could do.

"Hes?" he approached the older woman, not wanting to interrupt her conversation.

"Major," Hes smiled hopefully. "You have news?"

"I do," Evan smiled back. "One of our scientists managed to get your Ancient ship working enough to launch it into space. Our team and all the remaining people on the surface have been evacuated successfully."

"My son," Hes slumped in relief, glancing at her companion with a sigh. "We were so worried Major."

"I understand." Lorne didn't think he'd be speaking out of school to give them further news. "It's not confirmed yet but given the damage Doctor McKay has estimated from their observations of the volcanic eruption, the damage will be too severe for you to return there for a long time," he said regretfully. "I'm really sorry Hes ... but we _have_ found your people another planet so that you can relocate and start building again."

"It is what we are used to," Hes said complacently. "We are hard working – we will recreate what has been recreated many times in the past."

"The Wraith?"

"They come periodically, force us back into darker times, but we always manage to prevail," Hes nodded. "We will do so again."

"I'm sure you will," Lorne took the hand she offered and shook it, wishing her well before taking his leave.

"Major," Doctor Weir greeted him just as he was leaving the Tanaran's room.

"Yes Ma'am?"

"Have you had a chance to rest Major?" Elizabeth looked at him carefully.

"Not exactly Ma'am," Lorne admitted, deliberately not mentioning he was loading up another really late night on top of his sleepless one off world with Prue. "If you need me for something else I'm good to go."

"Since it was your team who assessed M5O-812 I thought it would be beneficial for you to escort Chancellor Lycus and a selection of his senior staff to the planet," Weir admitted. "They will select a site so that we can begin bringing in supplies."

"Happy to assist Ma'am," Evan agreed. He was tired – after about eight hours with the Taranans and then another four on their new planet it had been a long day.

"Thank you Major," Elizabeth hesitated before continuing. "Captain Kennedy is due to check in soon Evan. I'd be happy to pass on any messages you might have."

"Ah," Lorne just stopped himself from groaning aloud. The city leader knew about his relationship with Prue too? Could he possibly be any more embarrassed? "That's ah ... that's generous of you Ma'am but I'm sure the standard update on what's been happening in the city will suffice."

"Not that you need it Major, but you have my approval," Elizabeth said quietly. "We need more examples that life should be lived here as it is anywhere, despite the seriousness of the threats we face." She smiled. "And I can see I've embarrassed you so I'll stop talking now. Perhaps you could pass on my regards to Doctor Darnell. I'd enjoy the chance to get to know her better – _beyond_ the very detailed progress reports she provides me with."

"I'll mention it to her Ma'am," Lorne said, hoping like hell she was done, before he embarrassed himself further by flushing visibly.

Smiling, Doctor Weir nodded and then left him to it.

"Well, that was embarrassing," Lorne muttered, turning in the opposite direction and almost crashing into Nate Coughlin.

"What was embarrassing Sir?" Nate asked curiously.

"Nothing I'm going to share with you Sergeant," Evan retorted. "You're just the man I want to see though. Round up the team, we're going back to eight one two – got a group of Taranan higher-ups to show around and a settlement site to select."

"Yes Sir," Coughlin straightened, shifting back into business mode with ease.

* * *

Finally the really long day was over ... Colonel Sheppard and his team were back in the city and the Taranan's had been relocated. There was more to be done for them but it wouldn't be his team's job to assist. Evan would still want to check in with them on a regular basis, offer manpower at the very least, but for now he could call it a day.

When he got back to his quarters he swiped open the doors absentmindedly, already shrugging off his jacket.

"You're back."

Prue's voice from the darkness had him stopping abruptly.

"So are you I see," he recovered quickly, thinking the lights on low and looking at where she was sitting on his bed.

"I need to write some translation algorithms," Prue said. She hesitated and then shifted, getting up from the bed and approaching him. "And I wanted to talk to you more than I wanted to spend another night on three two two."

"Why's that?" Evan folded his arms over his chest. He wasn't trying to make it difficult, but he couldn't make it easy either. That wouldn't help either of them.

"Because even though I know I'm no good for you, I can't stay away," Prue put her hands over his forearm, gripping tightly. "Please ... don't shut me out."

"I'm not shutting you out," Lorne relented, uncrossing his arms and reaching down to take her hands. "But you have to see Prue ... we can't have a proper relationship if you're not honest with me."

"I know," Prue pressed her trembling lips together, her eyes glistening with tears. "I _have _been honest Evan ... I just ... I need more time. I don't expect you to understand why," she looked away, pulling a hand from his so she could wipe at her eyes. "Part of me is just waiting for you to tell me to leave you the hell alone. But the rest," she looked up at him earnestly, "is _begging_ you to give me a chance."

Lorne said nothing at first, his eyes locked on hers as he considered what she'd said. Because Prue was right - he _didn't_ understand. That much was clear, as was the fact that she wasn't going to do anything to take away the lack of clarity any time soon. And abruptly Evan realised that he was at crunch time. Either he accepted Prue for who she was right then, and trusted that eventually she would be ready to tell him about a past that still troubled her, or he stepped away, right then and there. Because there was no middle ground. He couldn't be the guy who said one thing while going behind Prue's back to find the answers himself – that wasn't him. So, did he want to put his questions aside? Was he patient enough to wait for her to reveal herself to him in time? Or looking at it from the other side, was he strong enough to stay away from Prue, knowing his feelings were mirrored by her, whether she'd admit it openly or not?

"It's just time?" he queried intently. "There's nothing more threatening at play here?" Giving her space to learn to trust him was one thing – staying back while she was potentially in danger was altogether different.

Prue shook her head wordlessly, looking up at him with a pleading, hopeful expression.

"What am I going to do with you?" Evan murmured abruptly. There was no real choice to be made – when you cared about someone you had to take the good with the bad, the understanding alongside the mysteries. With a sigh he gathered her close, hugging her tightly. She burrowed into him, shifting until she had her head over his heart. And then she let out a long, slow breath and just relaxed, letting him take her weight.

"Did you mean it?" Her words were muffled but he knew immediately what she was referring to. Did he really love her?

"Yeah, I meant it," he confirmed easily. "It would have been better if I hadn't almost yelled it at you but I guess sappy declarations of love aren't really us, huh?"

"I guess not," he felt Prue smile against him. "Doesn't make how we feel any less real though, does it?"

"No, it's pretty damn real," Lorne agreed. He held her for a while, the two of them swaying gently. "Just promise me something okay?"

"Anything," Prue returned, looking up at him.

"Someday ... _soon_ ... you'll tell me everything," Evan said. "Because it doesn't matter what happened to you in the past Prue – it won't change how I feel about you now."

"I ...," Prue frowned, her expression doubtful. Evan didn't take it personally – she just had to see that he wasn't going anywhere, then she'd believe him. "One day soon I _will_ put you – _us - _ahead of everything else Evan," Prue agreed, laying her head back against his chest. "I promise."

"Okay then," Lorne smiled. "Then I won't mention it again until you're ready."

Prue's lips trembled as she smiled up at him, her eyes glistening. "You're a good man Evan Lorne," she said softly. "Even when you were annoying me no end, I knew the truth of that."

"Me, annoying?" Evan looked at her, brow raised disbelievingly. "_Never_."

Prue laughed before returning to settle into his arms, seemingly content to hug him for as long as he was willing to stand with her. Evan sighed, resting his chin against her head and hoping like hell he hadn't just made a colossal mistake in not pushing her.

**Authors Note:**

Thanks to those of you who reviewed the last chapter - apologies for the absence of replies so far. I used information from the episode Vengence to flesh out the planet they relocated the Taranans to ... as wel as the details from Inferno to guess at how much time passed to make Lorne's very long day. Thanks for reading ...


	28. Slow alliance

**Chapter 28: Slow alliance**

Prue left Evan's quarters a short time later, both of them needing a little personal space to get used to the change in their relationship. Ordinarily Lorne would have pushed for Prue to stay the night but he could see she was tired, physically and emotionally. If he were honest, he was feeling the effects of a sleepless night and a long day himself, and hardly the best candidate for keeping company.

As he lay alone on his bed, staring up at the ceiling, Evan couldn't help but wonder why 'hooking up', as his Mom had so eloquently put it, with someone couldn't be a lot simpler than it was turning out to be. With a sigh he rolled over, burying his head in his pillow and willing his overactive brain to switch off and let him sleep.

* * *

"_They come." The voices were many and sounded familiar, like Atlantis usually did, only there were words instead of static harmony and the sound was outside him._

"_Who's coming?" Evan queried. Struggling to get a sense of where he was only heightened his confusion. The best way he could describe it was to say that he was nowhere ... he didn't exist beyond what he could hear. His sense of everything else was absent and it was disorientating the hell out of him._

"_Us ... but not us," came the reply. "Our future and our folly. A false step on the path."_

"_You know, if you stopped talking in riddles, us mere humans would stand a better chance of understanding you," Lorne complained._

"_Then let us speak plainly," the harmony sharpened suddenly until its purposefulness pounded into his head. "It all rests on you, Evan Lorne."_

"_On me?" Evan asked incredulously. "Then I guess you never read that old saying about never putting your eggs all in one basket!"_

"_It MUST be you," the voices jarred painfully, reminding Lorne all at once of the mental torture he'd suffered back on Earth. "Do you understand?"_

"_No!" Lorne was angry now ... and as the tone ramped up on the pain scale, scared as well. "Don't do this again. Don't ..."_

_

* * *

_Lorne shot up in bed, his harshly enunciated "Stop!" still echoing in the room.

Heart racing and breath coming in harsh bursts, Evan had the lights on full almost instantly, his eyes darting everywhere all at once. He was looking for a threat he knew wouldn't be there but it still took a few minutes for his heart rate to slow and his breathing to return to normal. Slowly lowering himself down again, Lorne thought the lights down to low, not off - and wasn't that an admission for a grown man, being afraid of what he couldn't see in the darkness.

His mind was racing - as far as nightmares went that one had been pretty far up on the bizarre scale, although not wholly unexpected. He _was_ still troubled by what had happened back on Earth, enough for some of his fears to come through in dreams. Did what he'd dreamed mean that deep down he believed the prophesy as Daniel had interpreted it? Was it denial or plausible scepticism for him to cling to the negative on that, to still be wondering how in the hell those predictions could relate to him? Because Evan really _did _think it was ludicrous - the very idea that someone could predict the future and then would take the time to carve it on a bunch of stone columns.

Rubbing his hands over his eyes, Evan almost growled at the frustration rising inside. Too many unanswered questions – both his and Prue's. And God, did that make him as bad as her? So far he'd been all about her revealing her secrets - her past hurts and how they were still affecting her - all the while holding his own concerns carefully close to his chest.

One thing was clear - Prue was right to insist they take the whole trust thing slowly – because Evan was realising that _he_ needed that breathing room just as much as she did. He'd never had someone to share the 'inner' Evan Lorne with ... until Prue. Maybe he would have got there with Tanya but they'd never had the chance, and in hindsight he was glad of that fact. His emotions from that time paled in comparison to what he felt for Prue ... but even with that it would take time for him to get used to including her when he'd always dealt with everything and determined his path alone. At least the nightmare had served a purpose, because Evan resolved there and then to take a new approach with Prue the next time the opportunity arose. Little did he know how soon he'd get the chance to act on that.

* * *

The next day Lorne found out what his part was going to be in preparing for the Wraith ship arrival.

"Doctor McKay and his team are continuing to rush through repairs on the Orion but we're at the point where we can plan on having it available when the Wraith arrive," Doctor Weir told him, having called him to her office soon after breakfast. "We'll have Orion cloaked and ready over Atlantis while the Daedalus remains outside sensor range."

"Going for the element of surprise," Lorne deduced.

"If we need it," Elizabeth agreed. "The optimal result will be for the city's cloak to fool the Wraith into confirming Atlantis was destroyed. They'll leave and we can go back to business as usual, until the next hive ship comes along."

"So, what is it you need me to do Ma'am?" Evan asked.

"They need someone on the Orion with a strong enough gene to help them repair and then operate the ship," Weir explained. "We can't afford for Colonel Sheppard to be stuck out there for the next three weeks."

"Understandable," Evan agreed. "I'd be happy to help out."

"That's good of you Major, but you know Doctor McKay," Elizabeth smiled blandly. "A willing volunteer isn't good enough. He wants you to be tested in the Command Chair here before he'll agree that he doesn't need John there every minute of the day. As you can imagine, Colonel Sheppard is more than a little impatient to return to the city."

"Right, of course," Lorne smirked. "And if I don't pass his test, what then?"

"Then I'll have to force Doctor Beckett to do something he never enjoys," Elizabeth admitted. "So make sure you pass that test Major. Doctor Zelenka is waiting for you down in the Chair room right now – you'll fly him to the Orion and either just yourself or Carson as well depending on the outcome."

"Yes Ma'am," Lorne nodded respectfully and then retreated, jogging down the stairs and across the Gateroom floor. A few minutes later he was walking into the Chair room where Zelenka was checking systems.

"Ah, Major Lorne," Radek greeted Evan with an absent smile. "I am sorry for the inconvenience, but you know Rodney, yes? If we could have located your results from the last time you sat in the chair this would not be necessary."

"I've never sat in the chair Doc," Lorne admitted, looking around the room curiously. There were a bank of control consoles against the wall but the room was dominated by the throne like chair that sat smack dab in the middle. Evan felt a rush of static inside as he looked at it - it was fanciful but the city itself seemed to be urging him to take a seat.

"Oh," Zelenka looked astounded for a moment. "I see. Yes, yes ... when you arrived we were somewhat disorganised, no?" He smiled over at Evan. "It is very simple Major. You sit down and place your hands over the gel pads. When you lean back the chair will activate." Radek hesitated and then rushed into speech. "Well, in truth it probably won't. Only Colonel Sheppard and General O'Neill have been able to get it working just by sitting down. Doctor Beckett can also activate the chair with some degree of strength, but he requires time to focus and some effort to make it work. So ... just do your best ..."

"... but don't expect anything," Lorne summarised blandly.

Internally his mind was rushing through the options. He could just sit down and take his chances, but the way the city was chorusing in his head Evan thought that could end up being a bad idea. Accidentally setting off something with a random thought was an event that had already taken place, as Carson could atest to, and Lorne wasn't confident enough that he could control a more than usually enthusiastic city after he'd popped the cork from the bottle. Better to hold a tight control and only switch the chair on if it seemed prudent to do so.

"I'm ready," he announced, moving forward. "_Don't activate the chair yet_," he ordered the systems firmly. "_I'll say when – and do it gradual okay. No flashy show required_." Holding back a smile at the way the city static sounded almost grudging in its agreement, Evan stopped in front of the chair. Sitting down gingerly, he lightly dug his fingers into the blue gel at each hand rest. It felt as squishy as it looked but was hot, not the cold he'd been expecting. Nothing happened but Evan could feel how much the city wanted to change that. "_Wait!_" he thought sternly. "_Just let me ..._,"

"Ah," Radek sounded a little disappointed but rallied. "That's fine Major. Just concentrate and see if you can turn it on."

"Right Doc," Evan agreed. Closing his eyes he thought "_okay, go," _as he leaned back and rode the chair's stretching and flattening until he was contemplating the ceiling. As soon as he'd relaxed his mental hold there was a flash of blue light. "_Slowly!_" he thought urgently. The light quickly subsided until the chair was lit up as it should be.

"Excellent!" Zelenka sounded excited now but Evan ignored him in favour of exploring the sensation. It was ... odd ... he always felt connected to the city, always had that mental energy firing at the back of his mind, but this was something else. This was like sitting in the middle of all that static as if it were a physical thing he could touch and feel all over.

"Think about the solar system Major," Radek requested, using the first standard question they always asked everyone.

Lorne wasn't paying attention but the chair responded immediately, the ceiling lighting up with a star map of Pegasus lazily revolving above them. One point pulsed, brighter than the others, calling out for them to look at it.

"Interesting," Zelenka muttered. "This isn't Atlantis _or _Earth. Were you thinking of anywhere in particular? Major?" he repeated when Evan didn't answer immediately.

"Ah," It was an effort for Lorne to pull back enough to be able to answer. "No Doc. Not that I can recall."

"Can you hold it there Major? I just need my laptop to ...," Radek's voice trailed off as he hurried away.

Alone, Lorne was quickly drawn back into his connection with the city. "_Let go_," the static seemed to say and without thinking he did, dropping the tight hold he had on himself.

The chair flashed brightly again, the blue lights settling into a brighter version of their usual configuration, bathing the walls with a soft glow.

That's when Evan lost touch with reality. He wasn't sitting in the chair anymore ... he wasn't sure he was even in the city, at least not any part of it he'd ever seen before. He was standing in a darkened room. Walking forward slowly his mind catalogued the details. High ceiling, Ancient stained glass letting the moonlight in – it was night outside. That wasn't right because it was early morning on Atlantis. The walls had the carved decorations the Ancients preferred adorning them but nothing to indicate what the room was for or where the hell he was. Passing the centre of the room, a shaft of moonlight hit the far wall, drawing his attention. There was a cavity there and something glowed, beyond the moonlight.

A flash of excitement hit Evan as he approached and realised what he was seeing ... a ZeePM ... no, actually there were _three _ZPM's, slotted into a triangle configuration power relay like the one they used to power Atlantis's shields and cloak. Could the city be trying to show him the location of a charged ZPM? He needed to find out where he was. Moving forward purposefully Lorne realised the cavity had a transparent barrier in front of it that closed it off, like a wall safe. There was an access point he could swipe his hand over, if he could get to it. The fact that it was behind the barrier was a little confusing. He'd need to -

With a wrench that had him groaning in pain the chair shut off, dropping Evan back to himself. When he opened his eyes the command chair was upright again and powerless, and Doctor Weir and Carson Beckett were standing in front of him with worry plastered all over their faces. Radek came into view from behind the chair, his glasses askew.

"There he is," Carson commented with an easy smile. "Are ye hurt Major?"

"Ah ... no, no I'm fine Doc," Evan said, more than a little confused. "What happened?"

"I am sorry Major," Radek shifted awkwardly, the picture of guilt. "There was a power surge just after you activated the chair that affected it's operation. I couldn't wake you and was reluctant to just shut down the systems so ... I called Doctor Beckett."

"After a bit of deliberation we judged it safer to switch off the power than leave you connected lad," Carson announced. Evan put a hand to his head, noticing the headache for the first time, pounding away at the inside of his skull. "I'd like to do a brain scan, just to make sure," the doctor added. "We can get you something for that headache too."

"I'm okay Doc," Lorne repeated.

"Let me be the judge of that," Carson said good naturedly.

"What happened from your perspective Major?" Weir asked curiously as Carson and Radek both moved forward to help Evan up.

For a split second Lorne considered telling her what he'd experienced - but running the explanation through his head when he wasn't sure himself what he'd really seen sounded crazy, even to him. He needed to think first, decide if it was more than just a weird moment caused by the malfunctioning chair. "Nothing exciting Ma'am," he offered vaguely. Standing, Evan staggered ... his legs felt weak and his head hurt more now that he was upright. "How long was I out?"

"Two hours Major," Zelenka replied.

"What?" Lorne frowned, stopping. "_Two_ hours?"

"I take it that it didn't feel that long to you," Carson commented.

"Minutes at most," Evan shook his head, wincing when the movement made the pounding increase.

"Let's get you to the infirmary, get you checked out," Beckett put a hand on Lorne's shoulder, urging him forward again.

"Sure, okay," Lorne was distracted, his thoughts back in that room. Was there any chance at all that it had been real or had he just fallen asleep and had a crazy dream? "Radek?" Evan turned back to the scientist. "Did you work out where that star was?"

"Not yet," Zelenka replied. "I saved the configuration but there was not enough to distinguish the region - I was planning to run the pattern through the database to see if a match emerged." He looked guilty again as he added "I should have realised straight away that something was wrong Major. When I couldn't rouse you I checked the chair log, saw the power surge, yes?"

"Not your fault Doc," Lorne said easily. "And apart from the headache I feel fine."

Nodding, Radek turned away.

"Hey Doc, let me know if you work out what planet that was, okay?" Lorne requested.

"Of course Major," Radek replied, attention already back on the chair.

Lorne walked from the room, Carson at one side and Doctor Weir at the other.

"Once Carson clears you, take a few hours Major," Weir said. "Rodney can wait and I'd prefer you not be pressed into gene service immediately after what happened."

"Thank you Ma'am," Evan acknowledged. "I appreciate the caution but I don't really think it's necessary - I'm fine."

"Let's have Carson do the diagnosing Major," Elizabeth said with a small smile.

"Yes Ma'am."

Doctor Beckett did just that, had him under the scanner with its warm light tracking up and down Lorne's body only moments later.

"Everything looks fine Major," he said once the scans were done. "Hop down and I'll get you that medication."

Lorne nodded, watching the doctor until the man returned with a blister pack and a glass of water, obviously remembering that Evan didn't like dry swallowing his meds.

"Take these Major," Carson instructed insistently, watching in turn as Evan complied. "They should kick in soon. I think the headache is your body's way of telling you you've done enough with the Ancient technology for now, so don't push using your gene until it's gone."

"No problem Doc," Lorne agreed easily.

"Right then," Carson smiled. "Off with you lad."

Glad to be off the hook Evan grinned, throwing Beckett a half salute as he strode out the door.

Once clear his face shifted back into serious again. What the hell had that been about? A dream? Or was it a message? A new way of tapping into information from the database? Because subconsciously he _was_ always thinking about the imminent Wraith attack – something another ZPM would help with. He wanted to try the chair again, see if he could work it out, but he knew that was out of the question. Lucky for him he _did _have access to an expert on the Ancient database ... and a sounding board to help him think it out. Time to try out the new, 'trying to be more open' Lorne.

* * *

"The whole thing was a little strange even by my standards." Evan was pacing back and forth in Prue's lab while she watched him. He'd given her the rundown on his first 'chair' experience, including what he could recall of the dream itself, and was now trying to rationalise it.

"Strange how?" Prue queried.

"I spaced out in the chair Prue," he shot back. "You ever hear of anyone who did that?"

"No, but we hardly have a vast sample of people who've tried out the command chair to compare you with," Prue pointed out reasonably.

"It wasn't just that," Evan said impatiently. "I might have looked like I was unconscious but I wasn't – and you have to admit having some kind of waking dream like that isn't normal. You've researched the Ancient database. Have you ever seen anything about what the Ancient's used the chair for?"

"I was more focussed on the language itself," Prue admitted. "But I think what you're implying could be right – such an impressive piece of technology has to be more than just firing drones and flying the city."

"Big difference between those and dreaming about ZPM's Prue," Evan pointed out.

"But like you said, things that might seem strange on the surface happen all the time here," Prue was clearly trying to reassure him now, but he wasn't in the mood to be placated.

"I don't think random bunches of flowers on my doorstep or the city curing a headache are quite in the same league Prue!"

"Flowers?" Prue's face went blank.

"Yeah, purple ones, every time I got injured or you know, had a really crappy day." Evan grimaced ... the whole 'reveal the inner Lorne' thing wasn't going well, if the expression on Prue's face was any indicator. "It stopped a while back, before I went to Earth," he tried to explain. "I'd kind of forgotten about them to tell you the truth."

Without a word Prue moved to the console and quickly accessed what looked to Evan like the botanical information section of the ancient database. Flower after flower flashed on the screen and then was whisked away as Prue continued to search.

Until his little star-like flower appeared abruptly on screen.

"That's it!" Lorne exclaimed.

"Astrum vegrandis," Prue said, her voice sounding strange. "It means tiny star."

"What does the database say about them?" Evan persisted, Prue's whole manner troubling him. She looked a little shell shocked and a lot confused, neither of which was like her at all. That he'd gotten flowers from someone before he'd really even gotten to know her shouldn't worry her as much as it clearly did - and given the lack of importance he now placed on those events maybe he should have kept the details to himself. "_Nice going Evan_," he thought grimly.

Prue shook her head, moving to stand in front of the window, looking out across the ocean. Watching her for a moment, Lorne then read the information on the screen himself. As soon as he did he realised why Prue was troubled. "It says here this flower only grows on Occulus."

Prue nodded without looking at him.

"But according to the database Occulus was destroyed by the Wraith millennia ago," Evan frowned, reassessing the picture of the tiny star like flower. He wasn't mistaken - that was definitely his little anonymous floral tribute. "Maybe the database has it wrong," Lorne suggested with a shrug. "At the very least it's pretty clear that the 'extinct' status is incorrect."

"There's no mistake," Prue said in a low tone.

Eyes on her now, Evan considered the information and her reaction and came to one conclusion. Walking to her he put his hands on her shoulders, squeezing lightly. "You recognise that flower, don't you?"

Prue stiffened but didn't pull away.

"No point in denying it now," he said firmly.

"I know the flower," Prue said simply. "Just another sad story of a race that didn't make it in this galaxy. Sometimes it's difficult seeing the evidence of what's been lost because of the Wraith." Turning to face him she shook her head. "I don't understand Evan - it makes no sense that anyone could give those flowers to you. Doesn't that worry you?"

"Not really. The how is simple enough," Lorne shrugged. "Either enough time has gone by for the vegetation to return on Occulus, or the flower was transplanted to another planet we have teams going to. Parrish would know - I'll ask him, okay."

"You're right - I'm reading too much into this," Prue rallied, looking up at him with a smile. "What I _should_ be worried about is that someone in the city has a crush on you – Mr Natural Charm!"

"But you're not worried because you know I only have eyes for you," Evan grinned when she rolled her eyes at his teasingly romantic tone. "That and despite how it might seem, those flowers always felt more like a gesture of support to me - not a romantic declaration. "

"Then why did the person who left them hide away?" Prue asked pointedly.

"I don't know," Lorne replied, "and it doesn't matter anymore because they've stopped." Leaning down he kissed her lightly. "I'm still on duty," he said even as he kissed her again before making himself step back. "If you get a chance, can you check out that command chair thing again? I'd like to understand how it works a little better _before_ I have to sit in it again."

"Of course," Prue closed the distance between them and wrapped her arms around him. She hugged him tightly, like she needed the contact and Evan instinctively gave it to her, enfolding her in an embrace that was more comfort than anything else. She held on to him for longer than he expected before with a sigh she released him. "Go," she said.

Evan smoothed a thumb over her cheek, leaning down and kissing her tenderly. "Later," he promised, before turning and leaving her there, watching him go.

* * *

His conversation with Prue had been distracting enough that Evan forgot he even had a headache, only realising it was gone when Zelenka radioed him for an estimated departure time to the Orion.

"Based on how you did in the chair Doctor McKay agreed on your assisting us," Radek revealed. "He is ... keen to begin."

"Translation, he's so impatient that he contacted you over subspace and demanded you get there immediately," Lorne replied.

"Something like that," Radek chuckled. "You are recovered Major?"

"I'm good to go," Lorne agreed. "How long are you planning on staying out there Doc?"

"Orion is in bad shape, yes?" the scientist said. "Rodney is not optimistic we can repair her before the Wraith ship arrives."

"So, three weeks then, give or take," Evan held back a sigh. That much time away from the city right now wasn't ideal - things were still new with Prue and ... "_and there you go, getting all mushy again. Suck it up soldier_," he told himself ruefully.

"Yes Major," Radek confirmed.

"Okay, give me an hour to get my gear together," Lorne said, already changing direction and heading for his quarters. "I'll meet you in the Jumper Bay."

Closing the channel, Lorne radioed Doctor Weir to report his intentions, in the absence of being able to report directly to Colonel Sheppard. Lorne presumed that they would swap places until the Wraith were close, at which time John would take command of the Ancient ship again.

Throwing enough of the practical stuff to cover him for three weeks into a pack, Lorne shouldered it and headed for the Jumper Bay, detouring via Prue's lab.

"Back so soon?" she smiled as she greeted him, until her eyes locked on the bag he had and she put the pieces together. "You're going somewhere."

"Yeah, the Orion," Evan admitted. "Even though I fell asleep in the command chair apparently my gene is still good enough for McKay. They want me out there to help with repairs so Colonel Sheppard can return here."

"Of course," Prue got up and took his hands. "I'm sure I don't have to tell you to be careful."

"The only thing you have to worry about is McKay annoying me to the point where I end up ejecting him out the nearest airlock," Evan joked.

"One of you has to be the adult Evan," Prue said sternly, earning a laugh.

"McKay's got an irritating edge but he's okay with me," Evan conceded. "It'll be fine Prue."

"Just ... don't overdo it," she urged softly.

"This'll be easy duty compared to some of the stuff I regularly get roped into," Lorne smiled down at her. "I gotta go though, so give me a hug."

Prue pulled him down to her and kissed him instead – hot and purposeful enough that he forgot where he was for a few moments, lifting her off the ground and depositing her on the nearest workbench at the right height. He kissed her until he really, _really_ wanted to do more, before his sense of duty kicked in to remind him that he was going to be late and that explaining to Radek why was a conversation he _wasn't _having.

With a groan Evan pulled away, resting his forehead against Prue's as they both regained their composure.

"Okay, well, that was ... interesting," he said, still a little breathless.

"I just wanted to give you something to miss," Prue said with a small smile.

"Mission accomplished," Evan drawled. Leaning down he pressed a final, firm kiss to her lips and then broke away. "Now I _really _have to go ... I'll talk to you from the Orion if I can." Touching a hand to her cheek his smiled. "Stay out of trouble."

"You too," Prue said, once again the one to stand and watch him leave.

**Authors Note:**

I know you all have unanswered questions BUT the story will progress to revealing answers soon ... this chapter spells the beginning of the three episode story arc for the end of season 2/beginnng of season 3 (Allies, No Man's Land, and Misbegotten) so there will be distractions for everyone before things can truly move forward for our favourite Major. So please, bear with me okay, and don't forget to let me know what you think. Oh, and if a couple of things Lorne said sound familiar, yes that was deliberate - my little 'tip of the hat' to Impressions! Thanks for reading.


	29. Allies at a distance

**Authors Note:**

Greetings! Yes, once again I'm back and this time with good news - I have finally finished writing this story. Yay! It's 43 chapters in total and I'd really like to have it all posted before Christmas which means I need to post three to four chapters a week. Can I count on you all to read and review if I post that often? I really hope so because this is quite the labour of love for me - in fact I don't think I've sweated, pined, or worked so hard on any of my other stories like I have on this one. Now that it's all written, it IS what I envisaged when I began a story to explore Lorne - a character who has the passion of an artist, the steely nerve of an air force pilot, and the calm purpose of a soldier. I hope by the time we get to the end you'll agree that I've at least gone someway towards doing him justice.

And so, on towards the end of the story!

**Chapter 29: Allies at a distance**

The Orion was the biggest space going vessel Lorne had ever been in, discounting Atlantis itself. As soon as he landed the Jumper in the bay he felt the feedback from what systems they did have up and running. Not as strong or multilayered as Atlantis but enough for him to instantly feel at home on the Ancient ship.

"Major," McKay greeted him with blunt efficiency as soon as he and Zelenka strode into the main engineering section of the ship, his attention on the data pad in his hand.

"Where are we at?" Lorne queried briskly.

"Still dead in space," Rodney returned irritably. "As in nothing works. Nor is it likely to in the next three weeks."

"Priorities?" Evan ignored the standard McKay 'we are doomed' speech.

"Oh let's see ... not dying is pretty high up on my priorities," McKay said sarcastically. "You?"

"I'm not planning on it," Lorne drawled, sharing an amused glance with Radek. "Since we're sitting ducks out here focus on the shields first."

"Already got a team on it," Rodney let some of the bluster drop as he got down to business. "Hyperdrive and weapons too."

"Right - so where do you need me first?" Lorne asked.

"Um ... shields," McKay decided. "Zelenka can get up to speed and start testing. Once you're done with that I'll need you on the weapons."

"Okay. Keep me updated in the meantime," Lorne ordered, getting an absentminded agreement from Rodney, who's attention was already back on his data pad.

Evan motioned to Zelenka. "Get started. I'll be with you in a few minutes." Radek nodded, hurrying away.

Lorne radioed the ranking military officer on board, Captain Harvey, to get an update, and then officially took command of Orion. Inside he felt an almost gleeful buzz at the thought that he, Evan Lorne, was actually in command of a starship. For the boy who'd dreamed of being an astronaut it was quite the moment to saviour.

* * *

The rest of that afternoon was the very definition of what Lorne liked to call military boredom. When you had to be fully alert - on duty - but all you were doing was standing around watching someone else do the work. Luckily in his career Evan hadn't done a lot of that kind of duty - he came to appreciate what a godsend that really was as he watched Radek muttering over the shield controls for hours.

"To jest zawód!" Zelenka cursed, hands buried inside the wall up to his elbows as he attempted to reach something.

"Need a little help there Doc?" Lorne asked mildly.

Zelenka's head popped out of the wall, his eyes narrowed as he considered his companion, Evan was sure doing an estimate of the length of his arms. "Yes Major," motioning Lorne forward he pointed into the wall. "At the back there is a broken control crystal, yes? If you can reach, please pull out and replace with this," he held out a pristine square that looked more like a piece of plastic than anything useful.

Evan peered into the opening. It was a maze of control boards with slots, some filled, some not, most having power conduits leading away inside the wall. Looking closer he saw the crystal Radek wanted replaced. Kneeling, he leaned in and carefully reached around everything that was in the way, his fingers just making the distance.

"I am glad to see you suffer no ill effects from what happened in the command chair this morning," Zelenka commented.

"No damage done Doc," Evan's voice was muffled and a little strained as he struggled to get the crystal out. "This thing is jammed in pretty tight."

"Most likely it was fused into the slot when the power overload rendered the shields useless," Zelenka explained. "You can apply as much force as necessary Major - the surrounding components are sufficiently sturdy."

"Right," inside the wall Lorne smiled. With the accent and the formal choice of words, at times his friend sounded just a little pompous. Gripping the crystal tightly, Evan yanked up hard, the crystal breaking free with enough force that his hand slammed into the board above. "Damn it!" he muttered, wincing as drops of blood appeared from under the broken skin.

"Is everything okay Major?" Radek shifted closer, leaning a little to peer into the wall over Lorne's shoulder.

"Yeah, it's fine Doc," Evan said, irritated with himself. "Here," he gave Radek the damaged crystal and took the new one in its place, reaching into the wall again.

"I have tested everyone with the gene in the chair Major," Zelenka returned to his prior topic. "Even with the power surge, what happened to you was outside all the experiences I have documented."

"I don't know what to tell you," Lorne peered at the crystal in his hand quizzically. "Does this have an up and down Doc?"

"It is unidirectional," Radek replied. "I mention the chair Major because I would like to conduct further tests, if you would be a willing to assist?"

"Ah - don't we have restrictions on that because of the power requirements?" Inside the wall Lorne frowned. There was a dilemma - part of him wanted to say yes so that he could do a little research of his own. But Radek was no one's pawn - Evan knew the other man was already puzzled by some of the things Lorne had done in the past - the Wraith materialiser information just one example. If Evan went along with the idea he'd have to keep very tight control of himself, and judging on last time that might be a tall order. He wasn't opposed to discussing how the gene worked with Radek, up to a point, as long as it didn't garner him undue attention.

"That's correct Major - Doctor Weir would have to approve, and the tests would need to be carefully controlled," Radek confirmed. "In all honesty I was surprised the chair didn't activate as soon as you sat down,"

"Really?" Inside the wall Lorne paused, waiting for more.

"Strength in the ATA gene is difficult to measure, yes? But through observation I would have put your ability higher than Doctor Beckett's," Radek admitted. "Perhaps the chair isn't as conclusive an indicator as we'd previously believed."

"How much do we know about what the chair can do?" Evan snapped the crystal into place with an audible click. "After what happened Prue offered to look into it but since you're the one who's tested everyone, you might already have an answer."

"The power requirements make it difficult to experiment beyond the set tasks we usually perform," Zelenka explained. "You had only completed the first - raising a map of the solar system - before the power surge negated the test."

"What about the gene itself?" Finished with the task, Lorne got up, dusting off his knees. "Some of the research I came across suggested maybe it's more than just the one gene, and that practice can improve what an individual can achieve."

"That is very interesting Major," Radek looked intrigued by the idea. Accessing his data pad he tapped a few keys, eyes on the section he'd been trying to repair.

Lorne grinned, close enough to both see and feel the return of power right in front of him. "I guess that worked."

"How did you ... ?" Radek turned to look at Lorne, bemused.

"The glow Doc," Lorne nodded to the still open wall section where the light from Ancient systems in operation was clearly visible. "Doesn't that mean you fixed the shields?"

"Not necessarily, but in this case yes it does," Radek confirmed, pushing his glasses up his nose with a pleased grin. "Of course they will need to be fully tested before we put them under battle conditions but this is a promising result."

"Great job Doc!" Lorne congratulated. "Where next?"

"Yes, yes, it is on to the next problem before the satisfaction of the last has time to fade," Radek muttered, unplugging his data pad and closing the access door. "This way Major."

* * *

That one event became the blueprint for Evan's days from then on. He'd never worked so long or so intently with Ancient systems and it was a constant battle not to get overwhelmed as subsystem after subsystem was repaired enough for the power to flow freely through the ship. As they all came on line there was an initial 'rejoicing' - like the full harmony a complete set of Ancient tech could create in Lorne's head. Glad that he'd spent so much time practising with Prue, Evan was able to control things so that stuff didn't just switch on because he was in the room. And as his work on Orion continued he realised that was the biggest achievement of all. Their prior experience, particularly with Colonel Sheppard, was that things just switched on as soon as the gene was detected - John didn't get to decide one way or the other. Lorne was different - he had been from the start. Control was a natural part of his personality and it manifested in how his gene worked – something that practice had heightened. He wouldn't be responsible for activating anything dangerous and that fact was reassuring on a number of levels.

Of course, the power flowing freely didn't mean Orion was ready to rock; anything but. Just because something had power to utilise didn't mean it could - and apparently that was a much harder problem to fix. Evan was in demand, because he was the only natural gene holder on board with any kind of demonstrated strength, which meant he was the only person who could consistently turn on anything, no matter how 'broken' it was. When you were trying to decide if you'd fixed something, getting a negative and not knowing if that was because you hadn't fixed a problem or because your operator had failed to get a true 'on' was a major concern. Lorne walked the ship from back to front and side to side more times than he could count, responding to calls for assistance or just checking in with the teams he had on guard duty. Not that he expected something to happen, but Orion was a huge vessel hanging in space, and they still didn't have external sensors or a shield that would stay on at full strength for more than a few minutes. A small craft could potentially sneak up on them, enter through the storage bays, and gain access to the ship. There might not be anything they could do to deter an attack - drone control was also non operational - but at least with teams at all the potential external access points, they'd know they were in trouble before it jumped out and scared the crap out of them.

McKay had repaired the ships subspace communications as the first priority and contacted Atlantis regularly, usually to complain to Colonel Sheppard that he needed more resources or more time. John would appear to be listening intently but would then finish with a statement like "so the ship will be ready before the Wraith get here then." It was kind of amusing to see Rodney's blood pressure rising almost visibly, but being in on the 'action' Lorne had a new appreciation of just how hard Rodney worked as well as how much was involved in the 'miracles' he often performed. Evan worked just as hard - there was nothing else to do on the ship and it was in all their best interests to deliver Orion as the latest miracle. Besides, keeping busy kept his mind off of everything he was missing back on Atlantis ... some of the time.

Drone control was McKay's constant thorn in the side - everything they tried to fix it resulted in more, rather than less problems. And in that Rodney way, the scientist quickly claimed Lorne and his gene as his own exclusive 'tool', on the premise that anything he was working on had to be the highest priority. Evan played along but also made sure in that quiet way of his to share personnel resources evenly throughout the ship. Fixing drone control was turning out to be their biggest challenge, and a week in to Lorne's stay he could see how frustrated Rodney was getting.

"Try it now," Rodney had the tray that housed the launch system out, a mess of leads connecting various controls to each other and then to his laptop in a way probably only he understood.

"_Drones_," Lorne thought firmly, focussed on trying to read the result. There was a surge of power that kind of zinged around uselessly and then died away. "There's a blockage McKay, between that last power relay you fixed and these controls."

"Yes, there is," Rodney agreed, turning an interested gaze on Lorne. "When exactly did you get so good at the gene thing Major?"

"Who says I'm any better than anyone else McKay?" Lorne countered. "Did I miss the big, mass exam?"

"Har har," Rodney retorted. "Since I've tried working with every ATA gene holder we have in the city, grunts and scientists alike, my observations are much more valuable than Radek's 'chair' test. Sheppard is notoriously reticent about helping out - with his super gene he's been the preferred choice for switching things on, but I don't think even he could be as controlled as you are Major."

"The Colonel didn't mention I've been practising that kind of thing?" Lorne asked curiously.

"No he didn't," Rodney looked at at Evan, eyes narrowed with interest. "What kind of practice?"

"Nothing profound," Evan admitted self deprecatingly. "Usually it's trying to open doors that Doctor Darnell locks out of the system."

"You're saying trying to open a bunch of doors has actually helped?" Rodney asked incredulously. "Wait - you broke through some of the Atlantis protocols?"

"Kind of, although mostly by what Prue calls cheating." When Rodney's brow rose in surprise, Lorne chuckled. "You know, stuff like turning off the oxygen so the environmental protocols will override the door locks and open the door."

"Sounds more like making use of what we know about the city than cheating," Rodney said dismissively.

"That's what I said!" Evan grinned, the two men sharing a rare moment of mutual understanding.

"Maybe I should practice more," Rodney murmured, adding quickly, "for scientific purposes, you know, to see if it is a viable means of increasing the gene's usefulness."

"Maybe you should," Lorne agreed. "It can't hurt," he echoed Doctor Weirs words from months before.

"Right, So, any idea what's causing this blockage?" McKay queried.

"Hell no," Lorne laughed. "That's your job McKay - I just switch things off and on."

"I'm sure it's more than that," Rodney muttered, turning his frustrated gaze back to the drone system. "I guess we dismantle the entire thing again."

"I guess so," Lorne agreed with a sigh, settling in for another long afternoon of military boredom.

* * *

"Major Lorne, Sir," Chuck's face wavered on screen over the subspace transmission. It was late evening in Atlantis and a skeleton crew manned the control room.

"How's it going there?" Evan asked. They'd had progress reports on a regular basis so the question was more in the order of small talk than a genuine need for information.

"Hive ship is still two weeks out Sir," Chuck replied. "We just heard today that the Daedalus is due in next week, ahead of schedule."

"That's good to hear," Lorne commented. "The way it's going out here we're looking at having just enough repaired to get to Atlantis, but not much beyond that." He paused for a moment and then got to the point. "Listen, can you patch me through to Doctor Darnell – she'd probably still in her lab."

"I'll try Sir," Chuck said, nothing in his manner suggesting anything in particular.

Having someone in the city he'd want to talk to during a long away mission was still new enough that a part of Evan felt a little uncomfortable using military resources for personal purposes. A computer with a camera and an internet connection was nothing compared to systems that took big dollars to keep in operation. Talking to someone at a station set up for that purpose felt a lot more private than talking over a subspace connection that was monitored 24/7.

The screen in the communications room on the Orion blinked and then resettled, Chuck's visage replaced by Prue's.

"You look tired," Evan said, something inside doing a little 'there she is' leap.

"Hello to you too," Prue shot back with a smile. Her eyes narrowed as she peered closer to the screen. "You're not looking that fresh and well rested yourself you know."

"I know," he shrugged. "Turns out the more broken a system is, the more likely it is it'll only switch on for a natural gene. At the moment out here that means it's me or ... it's me."

"Have you made any more progress?" Prue asked, the concern obvious on her face even with so much distance between them.

"If you talk to Rodney, not enough," Lorne replied. "Radek's a little more confident. On current estimates we'll get the Orion into position but it's going to be touch and go on being able to do anything with her."

"Even that's amazing really," Prue commented. "That ship was abandoned for thousands of years and yet Doctor McKay and his team might just get it running again, in less than a month."

"When you put it that way it _is_ pretty impressive," Evan agreed.

"How are you otherwise?" Prue asked.

"Fine," Evan responded automatically.

"Evan," Prue looked at him pointedly.

"What?" He shot back innocently. "The marines are all getting cabin fever being on a big ship that isn't going anywhere. You'd love it here though – all the geeks seem to, despite the pressure to get everything fixed yesterday."

"I'm not a geek," Prue looked like she was stamping her foot at his teasing.

"You are, just a little bit," Lorne continued to tease. "Lucky I have a soft spot for some geeks ... well, just you really."

"And you're lucky I'm overlooking your military jock status," Prue teased back.

"Sounds like we're both lucky," Evan returned with smooth charm.

"It does," Prue smiled but then let it drop from her face. "Still another two weeks?"

"Looks like," Evan agreed. "It'll go quickly and I'll be back there annoying you in person before you know it."

"I wish you were here right now," Prue admitted, "which is selfish and counterproductive because I don't need you for any specific reason. You're getting plenty of gene practice out there too so I can't even involve myself in that small part of your life right now."

"You can give me homework if it'll make you feel better," Lorne offered gallantly.

"It just might," Prue returned smartly before sighing. "You know what I mean."

"You're a part of my life Prue," Evan said seriously. "Doesn't matter whether you're here or there and it doesn't have anything to do with working on something together."

"You always know exactly the right thing to say," Prue smiled, her eyes shining.

"I'm not trying to say the right thing ... it's just the way it is now, okay?"

"Okay," Prue agreed softly.

"I want to talk more but ...," Evan trailed off.

"But you can't because this is a subspace channel, not our personal communications device," Prue finished easily. 'It's okay – I really didn't think you'd be able to contact me at all."

"If you don't hear from me before we head back to Atlantis don't worry," Lorne began finishing off their conversation. "Things are probably going to be even more intense here before it's done."

"All right," Prue smiled for him. "Get some rest. I'll see you soon."

"You will," Evan promised. He looked at her for a moment more before reluctantly cutting the signal, returning his screen to darkness. Instead of heading to bed like he should Lorne just sat there, unseeing eyes still on the empty screen.

"The rumours are true I see," McKay's voice startled Lorne back to the present.

"Depends on what rumours you're talking about," he said evasively.

"The ones about you and Doctor Darnell," Rodney didn't have a sensitive or sociable bone in his body, skipping etiquette in any form and going straight to blunt. Evan didn't actually mind – he preferred that to having someone tiptoe around him.

"Are we going to share a moment here McKay?" he queried blandly.

"God no," Rodney looked horrified for a moment. "I couldn't help overhearing the end of your transmission, that's all."

"And you listen to gossip too," Evan added. "I didn't realised you were so interested in your fellow man McKay."

"Hey, I can be as nosy as the next person," Rodney protested. "And everyone talks when the base second in command starts having regular meals with one of the scientists."

"Well then, remember nosiness is a two way street," Lorne lifted a brow expectantly. "How are things going with you and Katie Brown? Ready to take her home to meet the family yet?"

"You're right, nobody should listen to gossip and what people do in their own time really isn't interesting at all," Rodney quickly dismissed the topic. "You should be proud." Obviously he couldn't resist one more comment.

"How so?" Lorne asked, curious to see where Rodney was going with that.

"I ah ... I was curious so I looked at Doctor Darnell's translation software ... she's a programming genius," Rodney replied. "It's organised like nothing I've seen before - complex too. Well ahead of our current thinking on software engineering. I was doubtful a translation program was even possible - it wouldn't be, not without her. So ... you should be proud."

"I am," Lorne replied, knowing it was a vague answer since there was no way he could have known just how good Prue was at her work. He just didn't know what else to say in the face of Rodney's uncharacteristic generosity. "What are you doing up so late anyway?" he asked more seriously. "We've still got another two weeks Rodney – if you don't pace yourself you won't make the distance."

"I was sleeping but then I had a thought about how to keep the shields at full strength," McKay didn't point out that if he was up too late then so was Evan. "Since you're up anyway you can help me test my latest theory."

"Sure, why not," Lorne shook his head at himself. Working all the time wasn't going to make the time go any faster, but it might feel like it was. That was the theory anyway.

* * *

Those two weeks did rush by - because every hour that passed was one less hour for repairs, and it became clear before the deadline that they wouldn't get it all done in time. They persevered though, even during the last week when they utilised sublight engines to fly Orion to Atlantis the long way. Once in position Colonel Sheppard flew up in a Puddle Jumper, taking back command of the Ancient ship.

"Well done Major," Sheppard said when Lorne greeted him after the Colonel landed Jumper One in the Orion Jumper Bay. When Evan looked confused at the comment, John smirked. "Typical McKay - his reports were full of how cooperative you were Lorne- and I quote 'much more than a certain scruffy haired Colonel I can't mention because he'll make me go to every backwater planet in the galaxy.' You made me look bad."

"In my defence Sir there wasn't a hell of a lot else to do out here," Lorne commented with a faint smile. "Being the 'gene guy' was more interesting than standing around watching the scientists work."

"I can understand that," Sheppard replied. "Daedalus is in position out of sensor range and you've parked Orion where we need her too. The hive is still a few hours away - head back to the city, get some rest if you can, but otherwise be ready to implement the contingency plan if our ruse doesn't fool the Wraith."

"Yes Sir," Lorne straightened. "You have command Colonel Sheppard," he said formally.

John grinned. "Thank you Major."

"Good luck Sir," Evan added.

"You too."

Striding through the Jumper Lorne threw himself in the pilot chair and quickly powered it up, flying the little ship out into space. As he watched the view of Orion shrinking in the distance there was a sense of wonder - both that they had such a vessel at their command and that he'd actually been 'captain' of it for a few weeks.

"Major Lorne, we have you on sensors," the on duty control room tech announced. "You're clear to land. Doctor Weir would like to brief you as soon as possible Sir."

"Acknowledged," Evan replied. Technically he was off duty but he'd rather talk with Elizabeth sooner rather than later.

Lorne guided the Jumper down the access shaft and landed her lightly beside Jumper Two. Shutting everything off, he moved to the back section, hitting the hatch release. Atlantis greeted his return with a hum of feedback ... where that had been just noise before, after three weeks solid working actively with Ancient systems Evan heard additional complexity in the static – he could actually tell that all the systems were operational to full capacity.

Distracted by that Lorne exited the Jumper and had just enough time to catch the body that launched into his arms.

"You're back!" Prue wrapped her arms around him, holding on tight.

He'd missed her of course but in a way he only realised how much once he had Prue back in his arms. Burying his face against her neck he lifted her off the ground, reconnecting and reassuring them both that being back together was a good thing ... the _best_ thing.

"Missed you," he muttered before kissing her. Maybe he intended it to be a light gesture - he wasn't thinking about where they were or that Doctor Weir was waiting for him but he should have known better - no kiss between them had ever really been that simple. Prue threw herself into the moment and drew him down into passion with her. He staggered, righting himself by leaning them both against the Jumper as he continued kissing her. She wrapped her legs around him and that was enough to have him backing her into the Jumper purposefully. It wasn't a conscious thought - he needed privacy and the Jumper responded, powering up and raising the hatch for him, closing them both inside.

"Evan," Prue murmured as he broke away to redirect his attentions to her neck.

The need in her voice went straight to his heart and from there to the most expedient way of expressing himself - pounding the demand to hurry that was mirrored by her actions. She wanted him and seemed determined to have him, even if it turned out to be a mostly clothed, heated exchange in the back of a Puddle Jumper. At the back of his mind there was a moment where sanity tried to reassert itself but he didn't listen – couldn't when the drive to reunite them in every way he could had his senses on overdrive and his pulse hammering.

"Now," Prue surged against him when he paused, demanding that he take them both where they needed to be without delay. It was carnal and hot as hell - the release so intense that he lost touch with reality for a few moments, recovering to look down and see Prue under him.

They locked eyes - she was the one to smile first and then they were both laughing, happy to be together and amused to have greeted each other so intimately, and in the Puddle Jumper, of all places. Cleaning up as best they could and straightening their clothes only went so far. The look in his eyes and the flush on her face told their own story as to what they'd been up to but Lorne wasn't sure he actually cared that much.

Looking around Evan smirked again. "This wasn't quite how I intended to say hello."

"It was perfect," Prue declared. Looking around herself she frowned. "God, you must have fried my brain - I don't remember you closing the hatch, although, thank God you did!"

Evan glanced over her shoulder and shrugged. "Yeah, I was thinking we needed privacy. I guess the Jumper responded accordingly."

"You're gaining more control," Prue shifted into seriousness abruptly.

"After three solid weeks on Orion I guess so," Evan agreed. "Speaking of that, I'm off duty but I still have to report to Doctor Weir. Want to walk me up there?"

"Of course," Prue smiled, taking his hand when he offered it and letting him lead her from the Jumper.

* * *

"Ma'am," Evan greeted Doctor Weir minutes later, having parted ways with Prue at the bottom of the stairs leading down from the Jumper Bay. She continued down a level and disappeared across the Gateroom floor while he detoured to Elizabeth's office.

"Major, welcome back," Weir replied. "How did things end up on Orion."

"It's in position Ma'am but Doctor McKay is going to need every minute between now and when the Wraith arrive to make that count for something," Evan admitted. "We have communications and shields - hyperdrive is hit and miss and drone control was still unresponsive."

"We have the Daedalus if we need her," Elizabeth reminded him. "And if the situation escalates we also have Atlantis's drones, although I'm loathe to use them and reveal that capability to the Wraith.

"If we get that far we won't be letting them get away, or giving them time to tell their friends," Lorne pointed out.

"You look tired Major," Elizabeth noted, concern crossing her face. "Given you'll be operating the command chair when the Wraith get here perhaps you should get some rest now."

"Thank you Ma'am, but I don't think I could sleep," Lorne admitted.

"You're off duty - at least take a couple of hours off Evan," Weir insisted. Smiling she added "I'm sure after three weeks away you have people you'd like to reacquaint yourself with."

Lorne struggled not to flush, flashes of just how reacquainted he already was with Prue rising in his mind's eye. "Yes Ma'am."

"Stay in contact Evan," Elizabeth said quietly.

"I'll be ready Ma'am," Evan promised resolutely.

* * *

And then suddenly time had run out and the Wraith ship was entering orbit. It felt like the city itself held its breath as the Hive burst from hyperspace and slammed to a halt just outside of the atmosphere.

Lorne was in the chair room, already reclined with the chair activated, ready to respond with force if the order was given. Thankfully this time nothing untoward happened when he sat down, everything purposeful and on mission.

In its usual way the galaxy delivered another surprise when the Hive contacted the city instead of attacking it, and the Wraith known as Michael announced their intentions. Standing down with a Hive ship still hovering over the city was bad enough, but entering into an agreement that would see Wraith willingly allowed into Atlantis left everyone feeling like the world had suddenly been turned upside down.

"I don't trust them," Prue said grimly that night at dinner, the Wraith due to arrive the next day after the city had been 'secured', key areas locked down, and all personnel briefed on what to do.

"Hey, me either," Evan returned. "It is what it is Prue. Doctor Weir and Colonel Sheppard made a deal they think they can trust, up to a point. If the end result is less Wraith to content with then it suits our ultimate goals too."

"I know, but it insults the Ancestors that we'll just let them inside the city like this," Prue insisted, her eyes flashing with anger.

"Gotta admit, that part gives me the creeps too," Evan reached over and touched her hand reassuringly. "Fill me in on what you've been doing the past couple of weeks."

It was an obvious effort to distract her but it worked none the less. "I'm close," she said, some excitement entering her voice. "I have a translation matrix and algorithms working for every dialect all the teams have come across the past two years - except one."

"Got a source for that?" Evan asked.

"Maybe," Prue seemed to hesitate, a look appearing on her face he would have interpreted as conflict.

"But?" he urged her to explain further.

"M54-011," Prue rushed out. "No teams have been there before and the database is sketchy at best - I know it's too big a risk right now with the Wraith in the city. Maybe Captain Kennedy could take me there after the deal with the Wraith is complete?"

"So I'm not your preferred escort anymore?" Evan teased.

"You are," Prue hesitated. "I just ...," she shook her head. "I'm just being silly again. Ignore me."

"Not possible," Lorne declared. Getting serious he continued. "My team will take you, when this Wraith thing is done."

"Okay," Prue agreed quietly.

**Authors Note 2:**

Translation 'To jest zawód!' = 'This is frustrating'.


	30. No Woman's Land

**Chapter 30: No Woman's Land**

Evan and Prue were done with dinner and about to take a walk around the city when Colonel Sheppard approached. "Doctor," Sheppard greeted Prue easily.

"Prue, please Colonel," Prudence invited with a smile.

"Problem Sir?" Lorne asked, knowing John wouldn't interrupt during his off duty hours without a good reason.

"What, apart from the fact that we'll have Wraith in the city tomorrow?" Sheppard quipped. Nodding towards one of the empty seats the Colonel waited until Lorne waved a hand in invitation to take a seat. "That's kind of what I wanted to talk to you about. I know you've just returned but -,"

"But you want me back on the Orion," Lorne concluded. He wasn't surprised – John wouldn't want to leave anyone else in command while Wraith walked the halls of Atlantis but at the same time they couldn't afford for any hint of their new Ancient ship to reach Wraith ears – either via direct detection or through accessing anything on Atlantis that would give their secret away.

"That's right," Sheppard agreed. "We've made an agreement with this particular Queen but as Teyla reminded me today, they _are _Wraith."

"We'd be foolish to trust them," Evan agreed, seeing Prue nod, that flash of anger still there in her eyes.

"Orion could be the difference between winning and losing, should this all go pear shaped down the track," John looked at both Prue and Evan as he explained.

"I understand Sir," Lorne said easily.

"First thing tomorrow, before the Wraith get here, take a Jumper and assume command of the Orion Major," Sheppard summarised his orders succinctly. "Zelenka came back with me but most of McKay's staff are still there – they'll continue repairs."

"Yes Sir." Evan shot Prue a quick glance as he acknowledged his orders, before focussing on his CO again.

"We'll have to maintain radio silence," John pointed out. "I have no idea how long it'll take Carson and Zelenka to perfect the delivery method for the retrovirus – it could get a little lonely up there."

"Right, of course," this time Lorne didn't want to look at Prue, knowing she'd be upset at the separation, more so because she was already troubled that the Wraith would be in the city. Making a snap decision Prue would probably slam him for as soon as they were along, Evan spoke. "Do we have time to send a team off world Sir?"

John looked surprised at the request but gave it proper consideration. "Sure. You need something?"

"Ah, not exactly Sir," Lorne ploughed on.

"No," Prue said bluntly, having already worked out where he was going with his question.

Ignoring her protest, Evan continued. "There's still plenty that needs to be done on three two two Sir," he explained. "Captain Kennedy could escort Prue there with enough supplies to last them until the Wraith have what they want from us. I know Teneo would welcome an extended stay." With a sigh, Evan met his CO's eyes. "To be honest Sir I'd feel better knowing Prue was out of all of this, particularly with the communications black out between the Orion and Atlantis." Lorne didn't think he needed to point out that communication between three two two and Orion on the other hand wouldn't be restricted. Not that Prue was likely to want to talk to him after he'd made decisions for her without consulting her first.

John nodded, considering his second's request.

"With respect Colonel, I'd prefer to stay in the city," Prue deliberately kept her gaze away from Evan.

"Can you continue your work on three two two?" John spoke directly to Prue.

"Well ... yes, in part, but that doesn't mean I should be shipped out," Prue insisted. "In all honesty witnessing the Wraith being given access to Atlantis makes me feel ... angry. But I'm sure there are others who feel the same way, who'd like to avoid the Wraith as well. Wouldn't sending me instead of them be an example of that favouritism you were worried about before Evan and I were even involved?"

"Lorne and I will consider all requests by non essential personal to leave the city," Sheppard shrugged. "The Major's request makes sense Prue – for you and anyone else we consider valuable enough to keep away from Wraith knowledge. My primary concern is not leaving anyone we do evacuate vulnerable to other threats." He looked at Lorne with a faint hint of amusement on his face. "I'm not sure whether you're gonna like this Major but the better solution is to ship as many non essential crew as we can to Orion. You'll have teams there already to protect the ship and our purpose is to hide her from everyone – which means better security than we could offer off world."

"I can go to the Orion?" Prue looked at John hopefully.

"No -," Lorne began, annoyed that she'd derailed his plans.

"Are you requesting placement on the Orion Doctor Darnell?" Sheppard asked formally, ignoring Evan's protest.

"Yes Colonel," Prue smiled. "I am humbly requesting a transfer to the Orion for the duration of the Wraith visit."

"Granted," John said, getting up and slapping Lorne's shoulder. "From the look on your face Major I don't think anyone will interpret this as favouritism."

"No Sir," Lorne struggled to keep his irritation in check.

"I'll have Elizabeth review the crew lists for others who should be evacuated - we'll review her recommendations first thing," Sheppard added. "Have your team ready to transport a small contingent to the Orion in the morning. If we need more than one Jumper, Reed can fly the other one."

"Yes Sir," Lorne acknowledged blandly.

"Enjoy your evening Major, Prue," John waited until they'd both acknowledged his farewell before taking his leave.

"That did not go how I intended," Lorne muttered grimly.

"Serves you right!" Prue glared at him. "I can't believe you tried to send me away!"

"I wasn't sending you away," Evan protested. "Those Wraith could be here for weeks Prue – did you really want to be stuck here where we can't even talk to each other?"

"Oh," Prue stopped short, giving him a suddenly meek look.

"Yeah, _oh_," Evan returned sarcastically. "Now you'll be stuck out in space on a ship that doesn't work properly, when you could have been with Kara documenting more of those columns."

"I don't care," Prue decided stubbornly. "I'd rather be with you. Maybe I can help."

"How? You don't have the gene," Evan reminded her bluntly.

"You don't want me with you?" Prue looked down at the table, her voice small.

"It's not about that," Evan grabbed her hands, squeezing them lightly until she looked up. "It's about this being a military situation Prue, and you taking my lead instead of doing everything your own way. I'll be in charge of everything up there, including you, a fact I'm not sure Colonel Sheppard considered when he came up with the idea."

"Does that mean it'd be against the regulations for us to continue our relationship?" Prue frowned, pulling her hands away from his and looking around the Mess hall as though worried they might already be breaking the rules.

"I have no idea," Evan shook his head. "Look, I'll talk to Colonel Sheppard again."

"I'm sorry," Prue said in a low tone.

Evan sighed, taking her hands again. "It's not your fault ... I should have talked to you before requesting anything from Colonel Sheppard."

"Yes you should have," Prue smiled while agreeing that he'd been in the wrong.

"We'll sort it out," Evan promised. "So, do you still want to take that walk?"

"Of course," Prue jumped up, urging him to get up too.

* * *

Lorne did talk to Sheppard again, blandly explained his dilemma in blunt terms ... "is it a breach of regulations for me to be giving Prue orders while engaged in a non professional relationship with her Sir?"

John had actually chuckled and then cavalierly given Lorne permission to 'break the rules' while Prue was stationed on the Orion. "Nice try though Major," he'd complimented.

So Evan was stuck with the situation. It wasn't even that he didn't want Prue with him – he knew she'd probably enjoy the chance to work on Orion – but to his mind she was that much more vulnerable out in space than she would have been with Teneo. One thing was for sure - there'd be no way he'd relax until the whole crazy situation was done and they were all back on Atlantis.

* * *

Doctor Weir reviewed the civilian list as Colonel Sheppard had promised, and the following morning Lorne found himself flying a crowded Jumper up to the Orion. Prue sat amongst the twenty five civilians they'd crammed in like sardines, not drawing attention to herself. When Evan met her eyes from time to time on the trip from the planet he had to hold in a grin - there was a twinkle of amusement there over the comments of her fellow geeks as well as excitement and anticipation. He might not be happy about the turn of events but Prue certainly was.

Landing the little ship inside the huge hangar, he turned to address his passengers.

"Welcome to the Orion. Some rules before I assign someone to find you quarters and a place to work," he began. "Orion is a warship that could be called to assist Atlantis with very little notice. With that in mind you will all follow my orders or the orders of the ranking officer in any and every situation. You will stay inside the zones designated as safe. We'll work out an evacuation plan that everyone will memorise and practice when called on to do so." He smiled politely. "We could be here for an extended stay so be frugal with your personal supplies and obey all mandates on rationing of essentials. Any questions?"

"Can we help fix the ship?" It was Prue's voice, heads turning and others nodding their agreement.

"Doctor McKay has left a large team here to effect the necessary repairs," Lorne announced. Meeting Prue's eyes he nodded approvingly. "I'm sure they'll welcome any help you can provide. The faster we get this bird fully operational, the better."

More nodding, undertone comments to colleagues about what specifically they wanted to do followed. "Okay - move out people. Let's get you all settled."

The mass exodus that followed raised the noise level beyond what the Jumpers were designed for. Rather than force his way through, Evan sat back and let Reed and Cheung insist on an ordered exit. Captain Harvey was waiting with a team of marines and in quick time they had the group moving forward in an organised fashion for an orientation of the Ancient ship.

Quiet returned and Lorne decided a few more moments to enjoy it wouldn't go astray. Glancing over at Coughlin, Evan shook his head. "This is going to be ... interesting."

"You say that like it's a bad thing Major," Prue moved forward from the rear where she'd held back as everyone else left.

"You should be listening to that orientation Prue," Evan pointed out even as he took her hand and drew her closer. Aware that Nate was observing him with amusement he grinned. "Maybe I should assign you and the Sergeant here to whatever the least popular duty is ... teach you a little respect."

"And here I thought respect had to be earned," Prue said to Nate conspiratorially.

Nate laughed. "I think she has you there Boss," he said.

A number of responses crossed Lorne's mind, from the comic to the bordering on crude – as his eyes met Prue's Evan let her see some of that mischief in what he might say next, until he had her watching him with narrowed eyes. "There's always next time Sergeant," he finally said. Hauling himself up from the pilot's chair, he nodded towards the exit. "Duty calls."

Nate straightened, back to seriousness. "Yes Sir. I can escort Doctor Darnell to catch up with the others?"

"Thank you Sergeant," Lorne said. Prue had stepped back when he'd gotten up and now waited for him to lead the way. "Stay out of trouble – do what Coughlin tells you to," he told her as he passed.

"Yes Sir," Prue replied smartly, a smile playing over her face.

"_She'll pay for that later_," Evan thought, amused at her sassiness. Exiting the Jumper he stopped beside Captain Harvey while Coughlin and Prue continued on into the ship. Harvey had waited with emotionless patience for his superior officer to take over command of the Orion so Lorne did just that and then requested an update.

"Doctor Kusanagi has been in charge since Doctor McKay and Doctor Zelenka returned to the city," Harvey began. "She'll update you every evening like clockwork Sir. Yesterday's update, she said the hyperdrive repairs are progressing on schedule and that we'll be ready for a test within a couple of days. Drone control is still a problem but Doctor K has a team concentrating just on that."

"We have an additional twenty five bodies eager to help Captain," Lorne announced. "Liaise with Doctor Kusanagi to find the best places to put them."

"Yes Sir," Harvey nodded, a faint smirk appearing as he looked at his CO. "She'll be pretty excited having you here Sir. We have at least half the natural gene holders up here, including hers, but that's not good enough, according to Miko anyway." He looked momentarily embarrassed as he added "She ah ... Doctor Kusanagi asked me to call her by her first name Sir."

"At ease Captain," Lorne said, amused. He knew Miko Kusanagi from prior experience – she was dedicated, efficient, and given to outbursts of rapid fire Japanese that only a native speaker would be able to keep up with. Miko was also Rodney and Carson's first choice if Colonel Sheppard wasn't around – which meant she had a pretty strong gene herself. Still, using it while trying to fix things had always represented a problem Rodney had complained about on more than one occasion. "Since it looks like I'll be spending a lot of time helping the scientists, you're nominally in charge of our civilian guests Captain."

"Yes Sir," Harvey said smartly.

"Carry on," Lorne nodded to the younger man, getting the straightening of posture that usually served as an Atlantis non-salute before Harvey moved off.

Evan stood for a moment in the Jumper Bay, alone but for the sounds of Orion humming in his head. They'd made progress since he'd left – he could hear it in the complexity of the feedback he was getting from the systems. There were still what felt like gaps in the harmony – gaps they'd hopefully be able to fill before the ship was needed.

* * *

Prue wasn't a hardware engineer but she knew a lot about the Ancients and in particular about their approach to things, and was quickly an integral part of Miko's team. That meant that Evan saw a lot of her during duty hours, something that took a little getting used to. He had the blank facade down pat so that wasn't a problem ... and he was comfortable enough with his decisions to not feel any need to hide his personal relationship with Prue during their off duty time. Routine wise it wasn't dissimilar to Atlantis – they'd work, meet up in the Mess for dinner together, and then retire to spend some time in either of their two quarters, before one of them left for much needed sleep. It was like a vacation of sorts, one with an underlying tension and the threat of being called to battle at the drop of a hat.

Two days into their stay, after spending long hours working exclusively on the hyperdrive system, Miko announced that they were ready for a test run.

"Please Major Lorne, if you could activate the hyperdrive?" she asked in the quite voice she habitually used.

"Activating hyperdrive," Lorne confirmed. They were on the bridge and he was sitting in the 'captains' chair - it all had a Star Trek feel that was actually pretty cool, an impression Evan kept very firmly to himself.

Resting his hand on the arm panel Lorne accessed the hyperdrive system with every intention of sending Orion into hyperspace. But something wasn't right – the feedback he was getting – it didn't sound right. "_Great description Evan_," he thought to himself. "_They'll really believe you know what you're talking about if you describe it like that!_"

"Are you sure the system is ready for testing?" he swivelled in the chair to where Miko was standing, ready to monitor the system in operation.

"We have run many simulations Major," the scientist reminded him with understated confidence.

"Yeah, in isolation," Evan pointed out. "Look, I'm not trying to tell you how to do your job Doctor Kusanagi," he gave Miko a half smile, "but I'm tapped into the entire ship here." He took a moment, trying to narrow it down, aware that Miko wasn't the only one regarding him with curiosity. "Navigation," he said abruptly. "Have we checked that one in the past couple of days?"

Miko's eyes narrowed and without a word she turned back to her work station, fingers flying over the console. It didn't take long. When she turned back to Evan she looked both shocked and impressed.

"You were right Major Lorne. We had repaired the navigation systems but the link the hyperdrive uses is off line. If you had activated hyperdrive we would have ended up in the middle of the Atlantian sun."

"Oh," Lorne blinked. That was a little more serious than he'd been expecting. "So I guess you'll be fixing that before we try this again?" he quipped.

"Yes Sir," Miko straightened, giving him a respectful nod, her expression hinting that she was full of questions and just looking for an in to ask them.

"Okay, let me know when you're ready to go again," Lorne ordered, jumping up from the captain's chair. He'd prefer just about anything to getting a grilling from an over enthusiastic scientist.

Striding quickly from the bridge he made his way to the nearest external window, needing to ground himself. It had been almost a year since he'd come to Atlantis, since he'd had that first rush of awareness of the city with no one present to witness it. He'd made the decision then to keep a low profile – it had seemed like the right thing at the time and selfishly, it had made his life much easier than it could have been if he'd been completely up front.

He still felt it had been the right approach but that initial action had in some respects locked in all of his following behaviour. Admit to something now and he had to admit to what had been there all along. Evan was comfortable that he'd never lied about what the gene gave him – if anyone asked specific questions he always gave an honest answer. He'd mentioned the work he and Prue were doing to Doctor Weir too, the city leader aware from reports Prue made that they'd made some progress on that front.

But there was no denying that he'd kept things to himself ... lied by omission if you wanted to look at it as purely black and white. Not because he was deliberately trying to hide anything, but because there were things he just didn't understand, conversations he just couldn't imagine instigating because he wouldn't even know where to start. It wasn't like there was a base description of what his interactions with the city should be like so he could highlight where his own experiences differed. But in the past few weeks, since his first trip to Orion after he'd sat in the command chair on Atlantis, Evan had begun to feel bad about those omissions. Because he's gained in skill to the point that what he could do now was potentially a tactical advantage – one only _he _was aware they had.

Prue had been with him for all those practice sessions – she knew more of his capabilities than anyone but even from her he'd kept the full story of his connection to the Ancient systems a secret. But, judging from the look on her face when he'd left the bridge, that wasn't going to be the easy option anymore.

"Evan?" Her voice was hesitant as she greeted him.

"You followed me," he half smiled. "Should have expected that."

"So you know what I want then?" Prue approached, not stopping until she was standing beside him, both of them casting their attention to the view of space outside.

"You want to know how I picked up that problem with the navigation system," Evan said simply.

"I know how strong you are Evan," Prue said, turning to him and resting a hand on his forearm. "But I've never seen you do anything like what just happened. I know you can push the systems, create links so they talk to each other when really they shouldn't. And I've seen you override some of the standard protocols too. But I can't see how you could have known about the navigation system."

Lorne looked at her for a moment and then nodded. "I ah ... I'm not sure where to start," he admitted with a rueful chuckle.

"At the beginning," Prue instructed, watching him carefully.

"The beginning huh?" Evan shook his head. "Okay, sure, ... so the Daedalus transports me down to the city that first day and I get hit with this mental noise – like static or feedback or something. It was so loud I couldn't concentrate and I was yelling, in my head, for everything to shut up before I thought about it. And then it did ... it just stopped ... because I asked."

"You were hearing the city?" Prue asked, nothing in her manner judging him or accusing him.

"Yeah," he admitted. "All the systems give off this kind of energy I guess, and for some reason I hear it, in my head. To be honest I didn't think it was much of an advantage at first – more a hindrance. But over time, and I guess with all the practice and working on Orion all those weeks straight, it's more than just mental noise to me now. It's like every system has its own unique feedback note and together the entire city creates a harmony. If any one of them is out of whack I hear it – the city sounds different to me."

"And the same is true here as well?" Prue still wasn't blasting him for keeping what was a pretty big secret and that was starting to bother him. He'd have pegged her at storming out angry and instead she was calmly gathering facts like it was of no consequence to her.

"Orion sounds different but yes, the principle is the same," Evan agreed. "I can tell when we've fixed things and I can still hear the gaps where we have more work to do. So when I sat down and accessed the hyperdrive controls something about the feedback didn't sound right. I had to listen to pick up that it was navigation that was clashing. I couldn't have told you what the problem was though – that was all Miko."

Prue nodded, her expression thoughtful.

"Okay, that's it," Lorne folded his arms over his chest. "Get rid of this calm, level headed Prue and bring back my hot headed, irritated girl."

"You expected me to be angry?" Prue asked, her expression now shifting to unreadable.

"Hell yes," Evan shot back. "If you want to look at this in a particular way, I've been lying to you since the day we met Prue. Doesn't that bother you?"

"It should, but who am I to judge?" she sighed, looking saddened. "Forgetting about my reaction for a minute, why didn't you tell Doctor Weir or Colonel Sheppard?"

"I don't know," Evan held up a hand to forestall her reaction. "No one was there that first day but after that? Honestly, I don't know why I kept it to myself. If I was feeling fanciful I'd say the city itself urged me to keep the connection to myself. But at the end of the day it was a conscious choice and once I'd made it I'd created a framework I felt compelled to live inside."

"It would have been harder to explain why you kept it to yourself than it would have to just mention it up front," Prue summarised.

"Exactly," Evan admitted. "I liked who I was on Atlantis, I liked my job, having a team, all of it. If it turned out my gene was a lot stronger than everyone assumed that would all have changed. Colonel Sheppard's in charge and he still gets roped in to be the gene guy."

"And you didn't want to be the gene guy," Prue smiled at his description. Looking at him fondly, she patted his arm. "You really are the most unassuming and just plain modest man I've ever met."

"I just want to do what I can Prue," Lorne shrugged off what didn't exactly sound like the most inspiring compliment. "Too much attention ... being under the spotlight ... sometimes that's just a barrier to being able to do your job, you know?" He looked at her closely, eyes narrowed. "So, you're really not angry? Even with all the hours we've spent on gene practice?"

"That's right!" She smacked his arm, hard, unexpectedly enough that he stumbled a little.

"Hey!" He looked at her challengingly, brow raised.

"That's for making me get up at five am – five! – every day to practice something you already knew how to do!"

"I didn't know what I could do Prue," Evan defended. "None of that time we spent was wasted – before that it was just shifting static I'd be guessing an interpretation for. You've helped me get well beyond that to the point that -," he stopped, sighing.

"That you're thinking you really should tell Doctor Weir all of it, despite the consequences?" Prue asked.

"Yeah, pretty much," Evan agreed. "What if having my gene is the difference between winning and losing?"

"Then you'll be there and you'll make that difference," Prue said with utter conviction.

"So you don't think I should give Doctor Weir and Colonel Sheppard all of it?" Evan was surprised – he'd been sure she'd encourage him, or more insist that he come clean with everyone.

"Eventually yes," Prue replied. "Doctor Weir knows what we've been doing and I don't think how you engage with your gene is important – it's what you can do with it that counts."

"And I'm still learning that," Evan finished.

"Precisely," Pure agreed, smiling. "So, Major ... is there anything else you haven't told me?"

"Ah ... nothing concrete." Conversations with a hologram, soothing static, warnings not to go through the gate, dreaming about the city talking to him in words anyone could understand. It all passed through his head, none of it making sense enough for him to articulate any kind of meaning. "Nothing as big as what I've just told you," he added.

"Thank you," Prue stepped closer, smoothing her hands over his chest.

"For what?" Evan frowned, confused.

"For telling me one of your secrets," she said simply.

"You're welcome," he smiled. "Does this mean you have to tell me one of your secrets in return?"

Prue considered him for a few moments and then spoke. "I had a friend once. A best friend ... a kindred spirit. Her name was Fee. She was the only other person I ever felt so instantly connected to ... before you. I said it was different because Fee and I were instant friends and from the beginning I knew you and I would be more than that. Fee would have laughed and pointed out how crazy it was to try to change fate."

"What happened to her?" Evan asked gently.

"She's ... gone," Prue sighed wistfully. "A long time before I came to Atlantis. After I met you ... when it all became ... confusing between us, I wanted her to be there so much, to help me work out what to do. But she wasn't and instead I had to muddle through on my own. I wasn't used to that."

"I'm sorry," Evan pulled her into his arms, resting his chin against her head. "Losing a friend is something you never completely get over." There was enough conviction and empathy and knowledge in his voice for her to draw the right conclusion.

"Who did ...?" she looked up with a hesitant frown.

"Who did I lose?" Evan finished. "John Jones. Great guy – fun, adventurous, but solid, insightful." Evan smiled. "He'd have done great on Atlantis – would have got on with Colonel Sheppard like gang busters."

"He sounds wonderful," Prue smiled.

"He was," Evan agreed. "Lucky for me I had other, close friends who knew him too – we helped each other and eventually it got easier. But you don't forget."

"No," Prue agreed with a soft, sad, sigh. "You don't forget."

"And now you have me to help you deal with stuff like that," Evan said simply.

She smiled, her lips trembling, and her eyes shiny. "I do," she said it like that fact was still miraculous to her. Rising up on her toes she threw her arms around his neck and kissed him.

He was on duty but there was no way he couldn't kiss her back ... more than once ... if took more than a few minutes of soft kisses, gentle meetings of lips, barely there touches, before Evan made himself stop.

"Thanks for telling me about Fee," he said, breaking away reluctantly, caressing her cheek.

"I wish I'd mentioned her sooner," Prue replied. She smiled. "You have to get back to work."

"I do," Lorne agreed. "Come for a walk with me later. I'll grab something from the Mess."

"I'd like that," Prue leaned up to kiss his cheek sweetly, before pushing him away teasingly. "Work," she reminded him.

Lorne went, pausing at the door to look back at her, before walking away.

Prue stood at the windows for a long time, thinking about the life that was no longer hers, and the one she'd found to take its place.


	31. No Wraith's land either!

**Chapter 31: No Wraith's land either!**

Since they couldn't keep in regular touch with Atlantis because of the communications black-out Lorne had to run Orion on the premise that everything down on the planet was fine, unless he heard otherwise. It took another two weeks before a cloaked Jumper approached Orion with news.

It was Colonel Sheppard, sneaking away to brief Lorne on the state of play – which meant something big was about to happen.

"You're letting them take McKay Sir?" Lorne asked once the entire plan for testing the delivery system for the retrovirus had been explained to him.

"He volunteered," John excused the idea, "said the plan wouldn't work unless he was over there." Spotting Lorne's sceptical expression he continued. "I don't like it either Major ... but Rodney and Carson assure me it's the only way."

"How can I help Sir?" Lorne asked purposefully.

Sheppard shot him an assessing look and then sighed. "By staying out here, out of sight."

"Orion is almost up to full speed Sir," Lorne argued persuasively. "She could be good back-up if anything goes wrong."

"Almost isn't good enough Evan," Sheppard shook his head. "And if this goes wrong, it'll go wrong big. We'll have a dozen hive ships camped out on our doorstep before you can say 'set-up'. If that happens, we'll need whatever Orion can give us."

Lorne took in a deep breath and then let it out, knowing his CO was right. "You're right Sir," he acknowledged, only a hint of reluctance showing.

"I know how you feel Major," John offered. "Sitting on the sidelines watching the game is sometimes more difficult than just getting in there and seeing what falls out."

"Maybe we'll get lucky this time Sir," Lorne offered, a faint twinkle of amusement in his eyes. "Finish the game without needing to made a substitute play."

Sheppard laughed. "Maybe," he agreed. "So, how are things really going up here?"

"To be honest, better than I expected when you ordered the inclusion of civilians Sir," Evan said easily. "They all volunteered to help with repairs and some of them are pretty handy. We're making good progress and no one's been ejected out of any airlocks in the process."

"Good to know Major," Sheppard smiled. "I brought you some supplies – should help sweeten the geeks until this is done."

"Excellent news Sir," Lorne kept a straight face, already deciding Coughlin could be the one to police the most sought after items – coffee, chocolate, or anything else without any redeeming nutritional value.

"Well, since you've got everything under control up here I'll head back," Sheppard said. Lorne nodded, escorting his CO back to the Jumper Bay. As they walked John cast Evan a curious glance. "You didn't mention anything so I assume Prue's also adjusted well to living up here."

"I think she'd happily commandeer the ship to take her around the galaxy Sir," Lorne replied. "All those places the gates don't go. She's sure some of them have Ancient or Wraith ruins she could add to her research."

"Her skills have been missed," Sheppard commented. "McKay almost bit the head off of one of the linguists the other day for getting one of the Wraith schematic translations wrong. It wasn't pretty ... he complained about gross incompetence later and demanded I get Prue back."

"Her skills have been pretty valuable up here too Sir," Lorne commented. "But I'll make sure to pass that one on."

"You do that Major," Sheppard grinned. "It doesn't hurt to take Rodney down a peg, even with the Wraith hanging around. Count yourself lucky avoiding that one – seeing them walking around Atlantis is just creepy."

They'd arrived at the Jumper and Lorne stood back for John to open the hatch. There were stacks of boxes inside; tapping his earpiece Lorne contacted Captain Kennedy and asked him to assign a team to unpack Colonel Sheppard's Jumper so the leader could return to the planet.

"I guess things have felt a little off in the city since the Wraith arrived," Lorne commented as he and John began the unpacking. "In the city I mean."

"In what way?" Sheppard asked, frowning slightly.

"Maybe its just wishful thinking Sir," Evan shrugged. "Part of me was kind of hoping things wouldn't work as smoothly as they usually do."

"You mean like doors that don't open, lights not coming on, that kind of thing," John chuckled. "We've had a bit of that – I had been blaming Radek and McKay but maybe you're right Lorne. Maybe Atlantis herself is expressing her opinion on having Wraith on board."

Captain Kennedy's team arrived and the conversation dropped off as the work flow increased. Within a few minutes they had a stack of boxes in the bay and Sheppard was ready to leave.

"Good luck Sir," Lorne said simply.

"Thank you Major," Sheppard replied. "Keep at getting Orion fully functional ... and be ready."

"Yes Sir."

It was a typical kind of conversation between Lorne and his commanding officer ... if he'd realised then that it might be the last one he'd have with Sheppard, Evan would have tried to make it more memorable. But he hadn't. When Doctor Weir broke the radio silence to contact him a day or so later he assumed it was to tell him the test was successful.

"Major Lorne," Weir began. There was something in her face, her body language that had Evan's internal radar pinging. Something was wrong. "I'm recalling you back to Atlantis."

"What happened Ma'am?" Lorne asked.

"The Wraith double crossed us," Elizabeth's eyes glittered. "The Daedalus sustained heavy damage and we lost some key personnel."

"Who?" Lorne's tone was abrupt ... he almost tensed waiting for the news he just knew was coming.

"Doctor McKay and Ronon were captive on the hive ship when it went into hyperspace," Weir revealed. "Daedalus sent a team of F302's to intercept their Darts, led by Colonel Sheppard. We lost good men in the battle Major," she took a deep breath as though steeling herself, "including John."

It was a blow – there was no denying it. Colonel Sheppard was Lorne's most respected commanding officer ... he'd genuinely liked him, genuinely admired his courage and focus. Even though John had cheated death a number of times in the past there was always that question at the back of Lorne's mind ... would his luck ever run out? It was painful to have the answer that yes, it would.

"I ah ... I'm sorry Ma'am," Evan said, clearing his throat. If he felt the loss as badly as he did, Doctor Weir felt it many times worse. She and John had been close ... Lorne had never asked how close because it hadn't mattered.

"We all are Major," Weir replied. "But we don't have time now to mourn our losses. The Wraith database wasn't what it seemed – before it crashed our systems they stole vital information from the Ancient database, including the location of Earth and our techniques for faster than light travel."

"The Wraith are on their way to Earth?" Lorne felt the news like a wash of cold water over his mind.

"We believe so, yes," Weir replied, grim faced. "We can't let that happen Major."

"No we can't," Lorne agreed, understanding the unspoken subtext. There was no line he couldn't cross, nothing they wouldn't sacrifice to keep Earth safe. "Orion is ready and able to do whatever it takes to stop them Ma'am. Hyperdrive is spotty and we don't have drone control," he felt compelled to add, "but we will, before it's needed."

"You'll retain command Major Lorne," Elizabeth said briskly. "The Daedalus will lead our primary attack. We'll know the extent of their damage once Colonel Caldwell arrives back in the city within the hour."

"We'll leave immediately Ma'am," Lorne advised. "Should be there just after Daedalus." He paused for a moment and then continued. "I assume there'll be time to disembark our civilian passengers?"

"Yes there will," Weir replied. "Doctor Zelenka will transfer to the Orion to assist you with last minute repairs."

"Very good Ma'am," Lorne nodded. "We'll see you soon."

* * *

He informed his team and Captain Kennedy first, gave the order to engage sublight engines and set a course for Atlantis, and then went in search of Prue. She was with Doctor Kusanagi, acting as a second set of hands as Miko disassembled the drone control interface for the third time.

"I was sure that last simulation was going to be the one," Prue was saying.

"We still do not have sufficient knowledge of the Aurora class ships," Miko replied, handing Prue another crystal which she carefully placed on the floor so they'd be able to reconstruct afterwards. "It is not an ideal situation to create solutions as we investigate."

"Ladies," Lorne announced his presence as he strode into the room.

"Evan," Prue smiled over at him. As soon as she saw his expression though, her smile dropped and she moved towards him. "What happened?"

"Orion is being recalled to Atlantis," Lorne replied. Miko stood too, watching him closely. "Turns out the Wraith weren't exactly honest about their motives. They double crossed the Daedalus and are currently on their way to Earth. Doctor Zelenka thinks he can calculate where they'll stop along the way – that's where Orion intercepts them." Evan met Miko's worried eyes. "Keep at the drone system Doctor ... we'll be picking up Doctor Zelenka to help you." And then he looked at Prue. "I need you to help Coughlin gather up all non essential civilians ... when we get to Atlantis, he and Reed will take you back there." He'd feel better knowing his team was back on Atlantis – for Prue, and to help Doctor Weir if she needed it.

"I can do that," Prue agreed easily. Evan was relieved he wouldn't have to argue with her, relieved that he'd have her safety reassuring him when they met the Hive ship in battle.

"Great, thank you," he said. Hesitating a moment he turned to Miko. "Try checking the release system Doctor. If there's a problem there it wouldn't necessarily show up as an error in the simulations." Miko nodded, a faint smile playing over her face. It wasn't the first time Evan had felt compelled to 'offer advice' – that is, translate the feedback he was getting from the systems into some kind of indicator of where they should focus their attentions. Since he hadn't been wrong yet but was just as obviously uncomfortable with any attention about it Miko had learned to quietly follow his suggestions without discussion.

"We'll let you know when Doctor Zelenka is on his way," Lorne concluded.

"Evan, wait. I'll walk with you," Prue threw Miko an apologetic look which the other woman shrugged off with an understanding smile as Prue hurried after Lorne.

They walked from the room and down the deserted corridor without speaking. Once in the transporter unit Lorne moved to select the bridge but Prue turned, putting a hand over his wrist to stop him.

"There's more, isn't there?" she asked quietly.

Evan let out a slow breath and then nodded. "Colonel Sheppard didn't make it," he admitted.

"Oh Evan, I'm so sorry," Prue's hand tightened on his arm. When he looked into her eyes he saw an answering grief there – she hadn't know Sheppard as well as he did but since they'd been together and John had been handling Prue's requests for various things to do with her work, she'd gotten to know him enough to be genuinely upset that he was gone.

"Yeah, me too," Evan ground out. Rubbing his hands over his face he grimaced. Prue put her hand on his back, offering silent support. "To tell you the truth I can hardly credit it as believable. He's come back from the brink so many times a part of me is sitting back waiting to react, expecting him to do the same again."

"I know," Prue said gently.

Lorne sighed, turning and taking her into his arms. He hugged her for as long as it took to feel a little steadier, to put aside the emotions and reconnect with what they had to do next. Pressing a kiss to her hair he stepped back. "Thanks," he said gratefully.

"You're welcome," Prue replied. "I wish ...," she trailed off.

"I know," Evan returned. "I have to get to the Bridge. Radio me when you've got everyone ready to head out."

He pressed the spot on the map for the Bridge and the doors whooshed open a moment later. He'd taken a step when Prue grasped his arm and pulled him back.

Her lips met his with a hint of desperation ... it was a declaration of love, a good bye, and a demand that he do what had to be done and then make sure he came back hime. Lorne didn't hesitate – he kissed her back, making it thorough enough that she was a little unsteady on her feet when he stepped back.

"Good luck," she managed, trying for a brave smile.

Lorne touched a hand to her cheek. "I'll see you soon," he promised.

* * *

Doctor Zelenka came on board and immediately tackled their intermittent problems with the hyperdrive. They had shields which were useless unless Orion could actually get somewhere. Miko kept up her work with the drone release system, radioing Lorne an hour after they'd left Atlantis again to tell him there had been a problem there that she was attempting to fix.

As Lorne held command from the Captain's chair he realised it was going to be close ... everyone was working quickly and diligently, the hive of activity going on around him as busy as it had ever been on the ship.

"Major Lorne," Colonel Caldwell contacted him when they got close to the coordinates they'd designated for hyperdrive. "We're approaching our T-Zero."

"Zelenka says she'll fly, Sir, but - as of right now - that's about all she can do," Lorne admitted.

"You'll have thirteen hours en route to get your weapons online, but we need to leave right now to make this window," Caldwell reminded him. "Are you go or no go?"

Lorne looked around the Bridge, seeing Radek there, watching him expectantly. He raised an eyebrow and the scientist nodded. "_Thirteen hours ... piece of cake_," Evan thought confidently. "We're go, Sir," he said firmly.

"Very well," Caldwell acknowledged, his tone purposeful as he closed the channel.

"Okay people, this is it," Lorne announced. Putting his hand on the arm controls he called up the navigation system – checking that the required coordinates in space were locked in. Concentrating, Evan gave the command for the hyperdrive to engage.

Everything froze for a second and he thought for a moment that it wasn't going to work. Then slivers of light appeared in space in front of them ... the hyperspace window opened and Orion shot through. They were on their way.

* * *

"We need to be able to fire those drones Radek," Lorne repeated again. They were half way into their journey to rendezvous with the Hive ships and they still didn't have the ability to utilise weapons.

"I know that Major but I cannot make magic out of the air," Radek returned impatiently. Pushing up his glasses he glared at the console. "There is problem with the power, yes."

"I know!" Lorne shot back. Once Miko had fixed the release system the emergence of another problem with the weapons systems had been obvious to him – nothing sounded right to his mind, the frustration factor rising because Evan couldn't work out why. "Fix it."

"Do you know how much conduit there is between here and drone storage Major?" Zelenka shook his head. "To jest niemożliwy!" he muttered. "Pewien igła w pewien stóg siana!"

"Sorry?" Lorne looked at Radek expectantly.

"Ah – is like looking for a needle in a haystack, yes?" Zelenka explained. "A systematic process would be required Major, to ensure all sections are checked, and there is insufficient time to complete even a tenth of the investigation we'd need to conduct."

"Is there another way then?" Lorne persisted. "Could we transfer additional power from somewhere else?"

Radek's eyes narrowed as he considered the idea. "Yes! Yes!" He exclaimed. "Hyperdrive would still be drawing power so, not an option but ... shields," he said decisively. "We can take power from the shields and feed it to the drone system."

"Isn't that a little risky Doc?" Lorne queried. "As soon as we start firing, the Wraith will make our position."

"You said we needed drones Major," Radek pointed out, not looking happy about the prospect of how vulnerable they'd be. "Transferring power from shields to weapons might do it – but even if we can do so, I cannot guarantee it will work."

Lorne stood for a moment, thinking. "Do it," he ordered.

* * *

"We're approaching the coordinates," the technician at navigation reported. "Ten seconds until we exit hyperspace."

"Are we ready Doc?" Lorne asked.

"Almost," Radek replied distractedly, fingers flying over his keyboard.

"Almost," Lorne muttered, shaking his head. They had to be ready to fire as soon as the ship came out of hyperspace ... accessing weapons Lorne knew immediately that they weren't. "We have a problem Radek," he announced grimly as the Orion broke into normal space. Two hive ships slammed into view with the Daedalus already firing. Darts buzzed here and there, most of the missiles Caldwell had fired being intercepted before they could reach one of the bigger ships. One made it through, damaging one Hive ship enough to stop its forward movement. The second shifted course, heading for Orion.

"They've seen us," the navigator announced, voice shaking.

"_Drones_," Lorne thought forcefully. Discordant mental feedback had him wincing. "_Yeah, I didn't think that would work_."

Multiple shots struck the Orion's shield, shaking the crew a little but not doing any real damage.

"Major Lorne, now would be a good time to open fire," Caldwell's voice over the radio wasn't unexpected.

"Yes, sir, I was just thinking the same thing," Lorne returned. "I gave the order but nothing happened." He turned to look at Radek. "Radek?" he queried grimly. There was nothing Lorne could do – all the pressure had to be on the scientist to get them what they needed.

"I'm trying, do prdele!" Radek shot back. Evan winced again, recognising Radek's curse for what it was, even though he didn't know the actual meaning.

"We're having a little difficulty transferring power from shields to weapons," Lorne told Caldwell calmly.

"There's a hive bearing down on your position," Caldwell stated.

"Yes, sir, I see that," Lorne replied calmly. "Stand by." Lorne stood and walked to where Radek was working. "Doc – I hate to state the obvious but either you get me that power or we're dead."

Zelenka ignored him, working furiously. "OK. I have it. I have it. I have it."

Lorne reacted immediately. "Firing drones!" he declared, thinking the command at the systems as he moved to sit back in the Captain's chair. The weapons system responded this time and scores of drones burst from the ship. They were like buzzing bees in Evan's head – hot, purposeful bees intent on finding somewhere to bury their stingers. Lorne became more aware of what was going on outside the ship than he was inside it, each individual drone his to control. They swerved to avoid the Darts, glided around enemy weapons fire from multiple directions, and headed inexorably towards the remaining Hive. Lorne felt the impact as each found its mark, slamming into the Hive. He felt them explode, felt the damage they inflicted on the Wraith ship.

Then his attention was returned abruptly to Orion. The drones had been quick but the Hive ship was just as responsive – while the shields had been down the other Hive had fired, bursts of energy hitting the top of the Ancient ship.

"Get us out of here!" Lorne ordered, sitting forward in his seat. The ship was damaged and responded sluggishly. The Hive he'd attacked with the drones exploded but it wasn't enough. Although damaged, the other Hive still had weapons and it trained them exclusively on Orion.

"Radek - can you get us shields?" Lorne demanded.

"Not in time to make a difference," Zelenka replied grimly. His eyes were stuck on the front window where their fate was clear to see. Turning back to his console he worked at it anyway, trying to get them something.

Weapons fire was slamming into Orion now, shaking the ship and overloading the conduits. Consoles were discharging smoke and sparks, frying systems that had been working and further damaging the ones that had been a problem. Shields were down and although Radek continued working, Lorne knew they weren't coming back up. He needed more drones.

"What about drones?" he demanded. "One more shot, Radek, that's all I'm asking!"

"I just cannot give you what I don't have!" Zelenka darted to another console, dismayed at what he saw. "There's too much damage! We need to abandon ship!" He turned to run from the Bridge but Lorne grabbed him, pulled him back. Zelenka might not have seen it in the damage assessment but Lorne knew – the ship was too far gone to make the escape pods a viable option. He could feel it ... what little power they had left was now working against them. The feedback was so discordant it was making him feel nauseous – they needed to get off the ship, immediately.

"Hey! Doc! Listen to me!" he half yelled.

Thinking Lorne was persisting with trying to attack further Radek burst into speech. "We sacrificed our shield capability for our first salvo! This ship is going to blow any moment, Major!"

"I know! But we don't have time to make it off under our own steam," he yelled, activating the comm. "Colonel Caldwell. I'm afraid we've done everything we can on our end. Request immediate beam-out to Daedalus."

Again time seemed frozen, for long enough that everyone would have wondered if the beam-out was ever going to happen. Then bright light swamped their eyes, warmth flooded their bodies, and the small crew of the Orion was swept away to safety. Leaving everyone in the infirmary, Lorne headed straight for the Daedalus Bridge, to report to Colonel Caldwell.

When Orion exploded less than a minute after they beamed onto the Daedalus Evan stopped cold – only noticing just how much the Ancient vessel had been roaring in his head when it was cut suddenly short. He staggered, put a hand to the wall to steady himself, and tried to reign his reactions back inside.

It was jarring – going from Orion where he instinctively knew the general state of play to the Daedalus, a silent vessel he couldn't have begun to understand. Lorne felt the loss of the Ancient ship like she'd been something more than just an inanimate object – to him he guessed she had. He hated that he'd been the one in command when one of the last carryovers of the people who'd spawned an entire galaxy had been destroyed. He'd miss the thrill of being in control of something that impressive, even at less than full capacity.

As the Daedalus shook in reaction to the Hive ship now concentrating all its efforts on destroying them, Evan felt the guilt too. They were all still in danger because he hadn't managed to fire more drones and take out that second ship. Staggering into an unstable Bridge, Lorne made his way straight to Colonel Caldwell.

"Sorry, sir. We did our best," he said, regret written all over him.

"Nothing to apologise for, Major," Caldwell excused briskly. Turning to his weapons man he gave orders. "Bring all rail guns to bear on the main Dart bays. Hold fire until I give the order. Channel every ounce of power to the forward shield until then."

The action was furious – things exploding, the ship shaking, weapons firing. When the smoke cleared the Hive ship had stopped cold ... and the Daedalus was dead in the water.

* * *

Their situation shifted from immediate, getting blown out of space danger to the more insidious but no less ominous threat of suffocation. Oxygen levels were low and were only going to get lower as they all did what came naturally and breathed, talked, rested, and contemplated just how screwed they were.

The only bright spot from Lorne's point of view was the miraculous return of Colonel Sheppard. He waited until after the Colonel had spoken to Caldwell to express his own relief at seeing his CO alive.

"So, you really thought I was dead?" Sheppard echoed a question Lorne had asked what felt like a lifetime ago.

"Colonel Caldwell seemed to be pretty convinced Sir," Lorne replied.

"Was ah ...," he stopped, frowning.

"Atlantis was informed Sir," Lorne offered quietly. "It was Doctor Weir who told me." Before John had to ask Evan continued. "She was pretty upset Sir. Teyla too. But they had it under control – it was Doctor Weir who ordered us to pursue and destroy the hive ships at all costs."

"Looks like we followed that order a little too closely," Sheppard quipped.

"I'm sorry about the Orion Sir," Lorne said regretfully.

"She was really more your ship than mine Major," Sheppard pointed out kindly. "And from what Colonel Caldwell told me you gave her a fitting send off."

"I'd have preferred to give that Wraith Hive the send off Sir," Lorne retorted. "Then I could have taken everybody back home in _my_ ship."

Sheppard laughed. "Maybe you can do that with the next Ancient ship we find."

"Yes Sir," Lorne grinned.

* * *

Lorne took charge of the teams assessing the internal aspects of the ship for damage while Colonel Sheppard did the same for the outside from an F302. It was bad – there wasn't going to be a Rodney McKay patch over job for this one.

In the end, the solution of actually finishing the mission and setting off the retrovirus came from an unlikely source ... Michael. They had no choice though – it was either turn those Wraith into humans and therefore no longer a threat or they would all die. The math on this one was a killer though – ten hours for the retrovirus to complete its course versus 9 hours of oxygen left on the Daedalus. Lorne stuck it out with Sheppard's team, rotating through the F302s for a few moments of clarity before it was back to oxygen deprivation hell. They all knew the progression ... increased blood flow to start, to get more oxygen to the brain. Since the oxygen was dwindling without replacement, symptoms of cerebral hypoxia were quick to follow. Tasks that had been easy before, like powering up an F302, suddenly became difficult. And the F302 was easy compared to an F-18 or an F-16 ... Evan would have struggled to remember even a quarter of the hundreds of checks needed before powering up one of those jets. Coupled with that was short term memory loss - that feeling where you found yourself in front of a console but couldn't remember what you were going to do on it. Everyone's heart was beating just that little bit faster ... Lorne was okay but he could see some of the crew suffering from dizziness, a few fainting as the hours wore on.

"How long has it been?" Evan queried, looking to McKay as their official time keeper for the answer.

"Not long enough," Rodney immediately replied.

"Colonel?" Lorne looked at John, his message clear. If they didn't do this soon then they'd forget why the hell they were geared up and ready to rock ... and a short time later they'd all lapse into comas and then die.

"You're right," Sheppard got up, moving to Colonel Caldwell to get their mission underway.

The first breaths of air on the Hive ship were satisfying, not the reaction Lorne would have expected of himself on his first Hive ship. Impressions wise he decided up front that the less time he spent on a Wraith space ship the better ... the walls were creepy, there was nowhere to sit, (not that he wanted to get comfortable!) it smelled weird ... and in all honesty it gave a whole new meaning to the word ugly. The artist in him cringed at the lack of anything redeeming about the place, the soldier taking note of anything that would be tactically significant in the future.

Moving cautiously through the ship, it didn't take long to find their first victim. Long white hair, youthful male face, barely conscious and very much human. They found the same thing further down the corridor – more humans, confused. Some hadn't survived the conversion process or had been taken down by their fellow Wraith. Lorne could imagine that scenario – some Wraith quicker to react to the retrovirus than others turning into the face of the enemy right before their brethren's eyes. That would have been a shoot first ask questions later situation if ever there was one!

Colonel Sheppard began the practical process needed to marshal a crowd of confused new humans somewhere inside the ship where they could be guarded easily. While some of the men broke off to do that, Sheppard's team and Lorne continued on to the Queen's Chamber.

In the Queens Chamber they found her, slumped on the floor, not moving – much as all the other Wraith had been. They all moved cautiously forward, looking for trouble.

"Hello?" Sheppard called out, approaching the Queen. Lorne followed, frowning as the woman moved weakly.

"You alright?" Sheppard asked, moving closer.

"It's OK," Lorne added reassuringly. "You're gonna be alright now."

Closer still, Evan reached out to help her, only realising his mistake when she lifted her head and he saw that she was still fully Wraith.

"_Carson really should have told us about the failure rate!_," he thought as she grabbed him by the throat and literally hauled him into the air. That was painful enough but then she raised her feeding hand high and he knew it was about to get a whole lot worse.

"_Oh crap_," he thought, struggling to get free. No way was it ending like this ... no way was he not coming back to Prue like he promised. Digging his fingers into the Wraith hand still clutched at his throat, Evan tried to grab for his knife with the other hand. His fingers slipped on the hilt and he tried again, just managing to hold on. He didn't need to rescue himself though – weapons fire from three separate directions struck the Queen repeatedly.

Unable to hold him up anymore, the Queen let go and Lorne dropped to the floor with a harsh thud.

"Aow," he mumbled, rolling over to his back with a pained groan, struggling to get his breath back. "It didn't work on her," he commented weakly.

"Oh," Rodney looked a little wide eyed. "Beckett wondered if the females would be immune."

McKay had known there was a chance the Wraith Queen wouldn't get converted? Typical! "Yeah. Something you might have mentioned before she almost killed me, Rodney," Lorne said, irritated and incredulous.

"I only thought of it now," Rodney said defensively. Moving closer he reached down a hand and helped Evan to his feet. Lorne rubbed at his throat – the Queen had clutched at him hard enough to leave a mark. After his run in with a possessed Weir not that long ago Lorne was beginning to wonder if there was some kind of 'x marks the spot' on his neck.

"Colonel Sheppard," the team leader they'd sent out to round up the survivors reported in, saving Rodney from further remarks. "So far we haven't run into a single Wraith, sir."

"Understood," Sheppard acknowledged, switching channels. "Sheppard to Daedalus."

"Go ahead," Caldwell's voice was thready and weak but he was still lucid.

"You can start sending people over, sir," Sheppard advised. "They're all human and the air is good. I think we're out of the woods."

Saved by a Hive ship and a retrovirus they'd meant as a weapon. Lorne wondered anew at the surprises the Pegasus galaxy could serve up, sure that this one would take the prize for a long time to come.

**Authors Note:**

'to jest niemożliwy' – it's impossible; 'pewien igła w pewien stóg siana' – a needle in a haystack - love online translators! Note that any changes to canon were deliberate - I wanted to change more but decided to stick as closely as possible to the show and have some fun with the next chapter. I minimised using dialogue as much as possible but for such a momentus event, with Lorne at the helm, I had to include this episode in the story. Finally, it is beyond late here so this chapter didn't get quite the fine tooth comb my chapters usually do - please kindly overlook any 'I'm too tired to see straight' errors, thank you!


	32. Misbegotten problems

**Chapter 32: Misbegotten problems.**

They'd been saved from immediate death by transferring to the Hive Ship but that was really the beginning of their longer term problems. Problems that necessitated a meeting of the senior staff, including Lorne, on board the Wraith ship.

"We're going to have to come up with a way to tow the Daedalus," Rodney announced, his expression grim. "There aren't enough spare parts in this part of the galaxy to get her into hyperspace under her own steam."

"Which means we need Michael to get back to Atlantis," Sheppard concluded.

"A fact I'm less than happy with," Caldwell noted disapprovingly.

"He helped us get off that Hive ship and deliver the retrovirus," Sheppard reminded everyone present of what they owed their Wraith 'friend'.

"And when we get back to Atlantis?" Caldwell asked the question Lorne had been thinking himself. "What then?"

"I don't know," John admitted. "But we get a Hive ship out of it so it's not all bad ...," he trailed off with a shrug.

Caldwell said nothing, looking at Sheppard for a moment before turning his attention back to Rodney. "How long?"

"Until we can get moving?" Rodney queried. "The hive ships are self repairing but only up to a point. I took the liberty of consulting with Michael on the repair of their hyperdrive – given enough time he can get the ship moving, but we'll have to make regular, frequent stops along the way to allow the living aspects to recover and to continue repairs."

"How long Doctor McKay?" Caldwell asked again, some impatience showing through.

"You seriously want me to quantify repair time for a Wraith Hive ship?" Rodney looked incredulous but Colonel Caldwell pinned him with a steely gaze. "Fine," Rodney declared. "Ah – a day. But before we can even contemplate leaving we need to restore sub-light engines on the Daedalus so we can move her into position. Let's add another day for that." Rodney was getting into his snarky scientist stride now. "Zelenka's estimates say at least ten stops with a half day wait for the Hive to recover at each. So, with travel time ... nine days, maybe ten?"

"That's going to be a problem Sir," Lorne spoke up, his tone serious. Since they'd realised their current issues he'd been in charge of assessing supplies. The Daedalus had a crew compliment of 180, with the addition of another two hundred and ten converted to human Wraith at best count. "Ordinarily the Daedalus would carry provisions for a three week journey, with some additions for unexpected circumstances."

"I think this counts as unexpected," Rodney muttered.

"I'd say so," Lorne agreed blandly. "The addition of the Wraith more than doubles the usual compliment, which would be challenging enough, but," he looked at Caldwell, knowing the other man could complete his sentence.

"But the Daedalus didn't stop to reload before we left Atlantis," Caldwell concluded.

"No Sir," Lorne continued. "Even with strict rationing we only have water for two days, maybe three."

"That's not enough!" Rodney exclaimed. When Sheppard looked at him pointedly, an unspoken 'drama queen much?' question in his expression, the scientist shook his head, protesting. "The average human can only survive three days without water, and while I'm above average in most respects it would be just my luck to be below average when it comes to dying from dehydration!"

"Is he right Major?" Sheppard asked.

"The delivery was a little dramatic, but yes Sir, it's accurate enough," Lorne agreed, amused despite the seriousness of the situation. "Healthy adults can usually last three to five days without water, but with power restrictions also in effect it's gonna get pretty cold in here, so that lowers the estimate a little. In this case it isn't going to matter whether it's three, four, or five days because it sounds like the minimum we'd have to survive for is six. That'd be fine for some of us but it'd be a risk to sign everyone up for that equation Sir," he said to Caldwell seriously. Unspoken but understood, his message was clear – people would die. The only uncertainty was in how many.

"Can we contact Atlantis, have them send someone out to meet us with supplies?" the Colonel asked.

"Subspace communications are down, here and on the Daedalus," Rodney said, "and by down I mean dead and buried. We could walk back to Atlantis long before anything we can do out here will fix them."

"So you're saying we can't contact Atlantis, it'll take ten days to get back, but an unknown number of us will be dead from dehydration before we can get there?" Caldwell summarised incredulously.

"In a nutshell, yes Sir," Lorne confirmed.

"That's not an equation I'm liking Major," Caldwell said caustically.

"No Sir," Lorne said blandly. "I do have one idea to change the numbers Sir ... we put our Wraith prisoners into stasis," he suggested quietly. "It'd more than double our resources Sir."

Caldwell and Sheppard both turned narrow eyed looks on him but Rodney immediately perked up.

"Yes, yes!" he said excitedly. "That way we only have to worry about the power requirements to keep the stasis system operating ... which aren't insignificant but nowhere near as dire as running out of water six days out from Atlantis."

Caldwell looked thoughtful for a moment and then nodded. "Very well. Round up a team to assist Doctor McKay, Major."

"Yes Sir."

Rodney jumped up immediately – locking in his future water supply and therefore his survival was a big motivator for McKay. The scientist hadn't mentioned the added complication of his hypoglycaemia ... yet. Evan was sure they'd all be hearing about it before supplies were divied up. Instead of following Rodney, Lorne hesitated, looking at Caldwell intently. "It's not an entire fix Sir," he felt compelled to point out. "Water supplies will still be tight – we'll run out before we get back to the city and there's still a risk that some personnel won't do well with dehydration, even after a day or so. Our food supplies are also an issue – not from a survival point of view. We can ration that too but it's a given we'll be out of food before we get home." He didn't have to explain the consequences ... it would be cold and morale would suffer with people missing meals and feeling dehydrated to boot.

"Understood Major," Caldwell returned. "We're not at the stage of putting our own people in stasis yet – even assuming that's a viable option. Just do the best you can to minimise the impact."

"Yes Sir," Lorne looked to Colonel Sheppard for a moment, got a nod of confirmation from his commanding officer, and then strode out to get it done.

* * *

For the remainder of the day Lorne immersed himself in his duties, setting up teams to divide food and water into ration sized portions. Keeping busy helped with not thinking about how they couldn't contact Atlantis and therefore couldn't tell them they were okay. Lorne knew the deal ... the longer you didn't hear back from a missing team the more likely it was that you just wouldn't. He'd already given Prue too many reasons during their short relationship to think him either dead or close to it ... and it burned that he was doing it again.

"_But you're not thinking about that_," he reminded himself grimly. The other thing he wasn't thinking about was how things were going back in the city. They were assuming the appearance of one additional Hive ship was the sum total of the Queen's betrayal but where they had one there was every chance there were more, some of which could be on Atlantis's door step. "_Don't borrow trouble_", he thought, impatient with himself as he strived to return his attention to the activity around him.

They'd be shipping over supplies from the Daedalus to the Wraith ship in preparation for the entire crew seeing out the journey home on the alien ship, and were organising everything for transport. Rodney had supplied air to the Daedalus for that purpose, muttering the whole time that it was madness to waste oxygen they couldn't replace.

Water was already organised for rationing – bottled, boxed, and to be controlled by a two man team with a daily check list that would ensure each person got one and only one serve per day. Food was more challenging to organise – trying to work out how to divvy up the various items, taking into account the ones that wouldn't last as long, as well as paying some kind of attention to a balanced diet was beyond his talents. Evan had roped in the mess crew to do that and would assign Captain Kennedy's team to be their muscle as well as their intimidation factor should they need it as the days passed.

"How's it coming Lorne?" Sheppard strolled into the busy storage area.

"Almost done Sir," Evan replied.

"Good – McKay will stop complaining once we switch off most of the air over here," John nodded towards the corridor. "Walk with me Major."

"Yes Sir," Lorne gestured for Kennedy to take over from him and then walked with the Colonel. "Problem Sir?" he asked as soon as they were out of earshot.

"Not really," Sheppard returned. Sighing, he stopped at the first outside window they came to and leaned against it, his eyes on the stars outside, the Hive ship hovering nearby to spoil the view. "How do you do it Evan?" he asked quietly.

"Do what Sir?" Evan frowned, eyes on his CO. He could guess where Sheppard was coming from but couldn't credit it as something John would really want to discuss.

"Put yourself out there with Prue when this kind of thing keeps happening," Sheppard clarified. Turning back to Lorne his frustration was clear. "Doesn't not knowing what's going on in Atlantis drive you crazy?"

"To be honest I try not to think about it Sir," Lorne said simply.

"So it hasn't occurred to you that our Queen could have had more than the two Hive ships we know about at her disposal?" Sheppard raised his brow at Evan quizzically.

"I said I was trying not to think about it Sir, not that I'd been successful," Evan admitted. "It concerns me Sir, and I'd dearly love to be able to communicate with them right now, or at least find a way to let them know we're okay."

"At least no one reported you as KIA," Sheppard quipped.

"It was your turn Sir," Lorne returned blandly. The two men stood, both looking but not really seeing the view before them. "You're worried about Doctor Weir," Evan took a chance on making the obvious conclusion.

John looked at him, clearly uncomfortable with the spotlight being shifted to him. Instead of answering, Sheppard shrugged, keeping his attention on the window.

Lorne moved to stand beside his CO, directing his attention outwards as well. After a few more moments of silence he spoke in a low tone. "Never in a million years would I have guessed I'd have someone waiting for me back home Sir. Someone worrying about me ... in fact I was determined that wouldn't be the case. Lucky for me I didn't get to decide."

"Lucky?" Sheppard shot him a surprised look.

"Yes Sir," Lorne agreed intently. "If it had been solely up to me, I'd be retiring in twenty, thirty year's time with a chest full of commendations and an empty house. Even if things with Prue don't work out I don't think I can see my future like that anymore." It was true ... the past that had always held him back hadn't been rewritten by Prue. Instead she'd helped him see that he could either interpret it as a reason to sit back and let the emotions of life go on without him or he could man up and take as much of a chance on his heart as he took with the rest of his life. Participate instead of watch from the sidelines. What he felt for Prue was too intense for the sidelines to be an option ... it hurt to contemplate that it wouldn't work out, and he couldn't really comprehend what series of events would get him anywhere other than to a future with Prue by his side on a permanent basis. "_Man, you are so far gone you've gone soft over it_," he told himself ruefully.

"She changed you," Sheppard concluded.

"In a way I guess she did," Lorne smiled. "The fact that I'm admitting it to you really slams that one home, doesn't it?"

"Well, you're not exactly known for wearing your heart on your sleeve," John quipped. "In fact, you still aren't ... so I appreciate you making the effort for me."

"If you don't mind my saying so Sir," Lorne began, "Doctor Weir is an admirable woman."

"She is," Sheppard agreed. He looked at Lorne sideways. "And that wasn't a declaration Major."

"I would never suggest it was," Evan returned blandly.

"Right," John smiled and shrugged again. "I'll work it out eventually."

"Maybe you just need to think about it in a different light," Evan suggested.

"How's that?" John asked curiously.

"I imagine right about now Doctor Weir is getting a very good appreciation of what it's like believing you were killed Sir," Lorne explained. "If you put yourself in her shoes, does that change your decision making process? Because I know for a fact that seeing Prue lying at the bottom of that cavern on three two two, not moving, clarified my thinking down to the basics."

"Ah," Sheppard frowned, clearly not liking where that statement was taking his thoughts. "Let's agree not to try imagining either Prue or Elizabeth as ... you know," he gestured vaguely.

Lorne just barely held in a smile. "_Yeah, can't even say the word 'dead' and link it to Elizabeth, can you?_" he thought. He understood – and wasn't comfortable with his thoughts going in that direction either. "Sure, of course Sir," he said aloud.

"How are we really looking on supplies?" Sheppard brought it back to business, to both their reliefs.

"We'll run out of food maybe a week before we get to Atlantis, water a few days after that," Lorne didn't sugar coat it. "Everyone is fit enough to pass a military approved medical so, all things being equal, we should get them home before things start to go wrong."

"But those last few days aren't going to be pleasant," Sheppard concluded.

"No Sir," Lorne agreed.

"Right," John nodded, pushing away from the window. "Do what you can to get this finished quickly Major," he said. "I'll go back to the Hive, talk to Rodney and see if he can come up with a way to get us there a little faster."

"Yes Sir," Lorne moved from the window too, heading back to the storage rooms while Sheppard continued on to the bridge.

* * *

McKay and Zelenka got both ships repaired enough to get moving a day later – all the supplies had been relocated along with all personnel except Radek and a small team of engineers. He and Rodney had even managed to coax some additional performance out of the Hive ship, with Michael's help, bringing the supplies versus travel time equation a little closer to balancing.

Even though Daedalus was being towed by the Wraith ship she still needed to have someone on board while they were in hyperspace, just in case something went wrong. At the last rest stop the command crew would beam back to Daedalus in preparation for the return to Atlantis but there was no way they could crew Daedalus for the entire trip home because oxygen supplies just wouldn't allow it. Whoever stayed on Daedalus would be restricted to a small area where life support was maintained sufficient for one person, representing the smallest division of their available air supply possible.

They were ready to proceed – Rodney had done all he could to make Daedalus safe, and the ship had been stocked with the minimum rations for one person to survive for ten days. All they needed to know was who would travel on her all the way home. When it was time to make the decision Lorne could see that Sheppard was hesitant to give the order and assign someone to a very lonely ten days.

"Sir," Evan approached Colonel Caldwell with an easy expression. "Permission to take command of the Daedalus for the duration."

A faint smile played over Stephen Caldwell's face as he regarded Evan. "You jockeying for my job Major?"

"No Sir," Lorne countered, "but I wouldn't say no to a little peace and quiet Sir."

Caldwell nodded, looking over at Sheppard. John let out a breath slowly and then shook his head. "You sure you want that gig Lorne?" he queried. "It's gonna get pretty lonely over there, not to mention claustrophobic."

"I know that Colonel," Lorne replied. He raised a brow at his CO. "Are you really going to order someone else to do it instead?"

"No," Sheppard admitted. "But you know I'd rather have you here, right?"

"I'm flattered Sir," Lorne deliberately put a bit of the 'smart ass' into his reply, getting the desired laugh from John.

"Right, off you go then. Get out of here," Sheppard shooed Evan off the bridge.

Lorne straightened, nodded to Sheppard and Caldwell and then activated his radio. "I'm ready to switch over Radek," he said firmly. Radek and his team were ready on the Daedalus; they'd beam over in tandem.

"Major," Caldwell drew his attention.

"Sir?" Lorne queried.

"Thank you," Stephen said simply.

Lorne nodded. "No problem Sir."

The white light of the Asgard transport beam enclosed him and drew him away. When it dissipated he was standing on the bridge of the Daedalus. It was quiet – inside his mind and externally - and dark with the shadow of the much larger Wraith Hive looming over the ship. Boxes of food and water were stacked against the wall, his personal effects resting beside them.

Evan took a deep breath and let it out slowly, realising that for the first time in living memory he was truly and completely alone.

* * *

Lorne had always considered himself a well rounded kind of guy. He'd never struggled to make friends and had managed to go one better and maintain quite a few friendships long term, even living a military life style. But he'd also always been happy with his own company, and in some cases preferred that over having to socialise or make small talk. Being an artist meant you had to be comfortable inside your own skin – had to be up with tapping into your own depths for inspiration or interpretation. Evan had spent hours in his early years painting a single landscape in relative solitude and never missed the presence of someone who knew him.

Of course a few hours or even a day or two of your own exclusive company was small on the scale of things. The ten days he faced was more daunting – because he was isolated in a small section of a large vessel, in space, no way to get off if he decided he wasn't okay with commanding the Daedalus by himself after all. The situation itself added stress too – he had to manage his rations, his oxygen and power usage, and keep the lid on his own thoughts. That last part was the hardest, because he couldn't escape the fact that he was worried about Prue ... or that he missed her, intensely. He'd felt some of that when he'd been on Earth without her but the whole week in a coma followed by more weeks in the infirmary had cushioned it for him. He'd felt it on Orion too, during those days of repairs, but there he'd been able to talk to Prue, so again, the impact hadn't been as extreme.

No such cushioning here ... he felt her absence, felt empty and unsettled. It was disconcerting to understand the need of another person as being so crucial to his wellbeing.

He missed feeling his connection to the Ancients too. It was the longest he'd gone without being near something made by the Ancients – while conscious that is - since he'd arrived in surprised him that the absence added to his feeling of dislocation. He'd never really thought about it before but acknowledged within himself that he liked the gene driven parts of himself – at first they'd been a distraction, then later a puzzle he didn't have time to solve. It was only with Prue's arrival in the city that he'd begun to make them a part of who he was.

In an effort to stave off some of the more depressing or maudlin thoughts a guy stuck on a space ship all by himself might have, Evan decided to write Prue a letter every day. He wasn't sure he'd actually deliver them, but the process itself felt like communication, like keeping the connection, and as the days went on, he found that it actually did help.

He'd brought his sketch pad and a laptop McKay had allowed wouldn't impact on power consumption greatly – the letters he typed and stored in a folder just for that purpose. Since there wasn't much actual work to do, for much of the time Lorne sketched. Images of Prue from memory, a few 'what can I see out my window' sketches of space, and some pure fantasy stuff he knew Jon and Matty would love. If he'd had the artists 'care' pack his Mom had made for him Evan was sure the time would have gone much faster. He could have lost himself for hours at a time inside a landscape ... since he didn't have that capacity he also spent a lot of time listening to whatever music he could find on the laptop McKay had given him. There were a few digital books on there as well so ... all things considered, he was okay.

Colonel Sheppard contacted him at every stop too. Usually it was a 'how you holding out Major?" query he'd quickly answer with a 'fine, Sir' reply, but it did keep Lorne from feeling like he was the only person in the galaxy.

And so it went, day after day after day, as they slowly crept back home.

* * *

"_Prue_

_Okay, so it's day seven – we're more than half way there – McKay says three more days. The Daedalus continues to maintain position inside the Hive external structure, which is lucky for me because if something went wrong I'd be stranded out here forever, especially if it relied solely on me to fix it._

_Food will be gone by the end of the day ... I've been pretty frugal so I still have water for another day. I'm pretty alert ... and you know I won't be sleeping once we get close to home._

_I'm sorry ... I know I've said that every letter I've written since I've been on the Daedalus, but the closer we get the more guilt ridden I am, thinking about how you'd be feeling right now. I never told you why I was just as reluctant as you at the beginning of our relationship. I didn't want to get involved ... told myself it was because I never wanted someone to hurt like my Mom hurt when my Dad was killed. That's true – I'd never want you to hurt over me Prue. But that wasn't all of it. Losing someone you love is hard ... it changes lives, changes your purpose, your direction, what motivates you. My Dad did that to my life when he was killed ... and I didn't want to give anyone else the same power. A few years back I thought maybe I could but what happened only ended up reinforcing my original opinion. (And no, that's not a story I need to tell you right now!). I can trust someone intellectually but I realised a while back that I haven't trusted anyone with my heart in ... well forever really. _

_Until you._

_It always sounds sappy when I think about saying it aloud (when I'm not angry!) but strangely not so much to write it out. I love you Prue ... and I'd like nothing more than to know that you'll be in my life forever. I know you're not ready for that kind of declaration but take it in the spirit intended – as my commitment to trusting you with everything that I am._

_The silence and the solitude must be getting to me ... I feel more in touch with my artistic side and less in touch with the military side of me. Although, I'd be prepared to offer a pretty big bribe to take an F302 out for a spin the next time we stop – the only thing stopping me is the knowledge that Colonel Sheppard would rightly label me as insane and stick me in a nice little padded room for one._

_I'm okay – really. I just really want to be home right now ... with you._

_Yours, Evan."_

* * *

Communication fell off the last day – because everyone was struggling with lack of sleep, food and water. Lorne was faring okay but he'd run out of water the day before, and food the day before that. Funny how you could get used to not having anything, to the point that you didn't miss it. He really wasn't hungry ... but he was more than a little dry!

He hadn't slept either ... too on edge from worrying about whether they'd make it and what they'd find when they got there. That and maybe the lack of food and water were messing with his head.

"Daedalus, this is Sheppard, do you read?"

"Yes Sir, reading you loud and clear," Lorne replied.

"We're about to reach the outskirts of Lantia Major," Sheppard reported, the relief in his voice evident. "Things might get a little hairy given we can't tell them we're not a threat, so change of plans."

"Sir?" Lorne frowned. What change of plans?

"You'll stay with the Daedalus until after we make contact Major," John advised. "As soon as we know it's safe, you can transport Colonel Caldwell and the rest of the command crew to the Bridge. You'll stay with the ship until she's docked in the city."

It meant Evan would probably get back to Atlantis quicker than Sheppard's team and most of the Daedalus crew ... and after ten days alone Lorne wasn't going to look that gift horse in the mouth. "Yes Sir," he said gratefully.

"Everyone's getting the day off," John quipped, "after they clear the infirmary. Take the time Major – enjoy it."

"I will Sir ... you too," Lorne returned.

"Oh I plan on it," Sheppard's tone was purposeful and Evan wondered what resolutions John had made during the long journey home. "Sheppard out."

Lorne settled back in the Captain's chair, looking around the bridge with a degree of fondness. The Daedalus wasn't Orion but it was a representation of human ingenuity and advancement, and a pretty impressive one at that. That said though, he'd had more than enough of being in command. The sooner he could transport Colonel Caldwell over, the better.

* * *

With surprisingly little fanfare in the end, the Hive ship and Dadedalus were granted safe passage to Atlantis. The relief of being back in the city was almost overwhelming. Lorne felt it before he'd even set foot on the dock ... harmonious, uplifting, no longer as mysterious as it had been the first time he'd felt it, the feedback from the Ancient systems tapped into his gene and filled his mind. He let himself be distracted for a moment, registering the differences in what he could discern and looking forward to understanding that more.

Turning his eyes from internal retrospection to the external Evan spotted Prue immediately. She was hidden in the shadows near the dock entrance, waiting for him, grabbing his attention and holding it effortlessly.

Colonel Caldwell stepped down to the dock beside Lorne. "Major," Stephen's eyes tracked to where Lorne was looking. "Ahh," the older man smiled knowingly.

"Sir?" Lorne shook himself out of his distracted state to glance at the Daedalus commander.

"Your young lady?" Caldwell enquired.

"Ah ... yes Sir," Evan was forced to admit. Not that he didn't want to claim Prue as his – it was just an unusual place for him to be in, having a partner drawing the attention of a superior officer.

"Best not keep her waiting any longer then Major," Caldwell noted.

"No Sir," Lorne kept a grin in with difficulty, taking a step forward.

"Major Lorne?"

Evan turned back to Caldwell, the question on his face. "Sir?"

"You're officially off duty," Caldwell announced. "As long as you report to the infirmary before the end of the day I don't think anyone will mind if you take some personal time."

Lorne grinned then. "Thank you Colonel," he said.

"You did well," Caldwell complimented sincerely. Lorne didn't know what to say to that – Caldwell, amused, waved him off. "Go," he said.

"Yes Sir."

Turning Lorne walked to Prue, keeping his steps slow and even. Prue didn't rush forward ... she waited until he'd joined her in the shadows. They didn't need words ... only a few moments to let each see the emotion in the other's eyes. And then she was in his arms and he was lifting her off the ground, hugging her tight, oblivious to everything but the enjoyment of being home.

**Authors Note:**

Yes, I did write an entire chapter around the first few minutes of Misbegotten, and all because of Sheppard's line "We're out of food and water and we haven't slept in days but, yeah, we made it." I just had to work out how to get from finding enough air on the Hive ship to being out of everything else some days later! I had to take some licence in terms of how long it would have taken to get into that state, since the timing is very blurry in the episodes. Information on how long people can survive without food and water came from health dot howstuffworks dot com.

I'm aware that I'm woefully behind on review replies ... a sincere thank you to those who reveiwed the last couple of chapters, particularly those I can't thank personally. I will get to replies soon, promise! The story hasn't been getting much traffic - readers or reviewers - which is disheartening after all the hours and hours of effort to write it. This just means that if you are reading this you have to really, really, really enjoy it!


	33. Misbegotten Past

**Authors Note:**

I'm happy to hear that you all _are _really, really enjoying this *smiles*. Makes a world of difference to me knowing that - I'm happy posting it too, although also a bit sad as each chapter brings us closer to the end. Still lots to go yet though.

**Chapter 33: Misbegotten Past**

A week later things had almost returned to normal in Atlantis. Not quite, because Doctor Weir was still on her way back from a forced visit to Earth. When Teyla had filled them in on that situation during the first debriefing, Lorne had been more than a little annoyed that the I.O.A. had pulled Elizabeth from command during the crisis. Looking across at Sheppard, Evan had been unsurprised to see a matching anger, along with disappointment etched on John's face. Whatever personal lessons the Colonel had learned on the journey home would have to wait – Lorne could only hope not so long that they'd lose their power to compel him to act.

Since Weir wasn't there, decisions about the fate of their Wraith converts fell to Sheppard and Caldwell. Leaving them in stasis would have been easier but McKay quickly disabused them of that as an option – the system was draining power too rapidly to make it viable that they could just keep two hundred people locked up indefinitely.

Sheppard and Caldwell had been united in their opinions – the new 'humans' couldn't stay on Atlantis, not while the retrovirus treatment had to be continually readministered. While there was any threat they could return to their Wraith state Atlantis would be at risk.

A carefully crafted story about a medical emergency and a virus that stole memories was concocted and sent along with the Hive ship and Doctor Beckett himself. They chose an isolated planet, one without a Stargate. Sheppard's team went too, to help set the Wraith up in a settlement and get them skilled enough to administer their own drugs. With any luck they'd return before Doctor Weir who was coming in on an Asgard transport to cut her trip time down to just over a week.

Colonel Caldwell was left in command of the city in the mean time, with Lorne falling into his usual role with a relief that was almost palpable. He happily caught up with paperwork, signed approvals, and looked at Sheppard's recommendations for promotions. Somewhere in the midst of weeks of drama over the Wraith ship's approach the Colonel had actually found time to complete his year end employee reviews. Evan looked down the list of people who'd completed requirements and been recommended to go up a grade, grinning broadly when he got to one specific name.

"_I'll let you do the announcing on this one Major_," John had written.

Still smiling, Lorne picked up the pace on the remaining requests so he could do just that.

When he found a request from Prue for an off world trip to M54-011 he put it in the pile of things Colonel Caldwell would have to approve. He recognised the planet designation as the one she'd mentioned what felt like months ago – the one with possibly the last of the dialect sources she was looking for to complete her translation program – and trusted she'd have put up a good enough case to get approval.

Requests done or stacked for the acting leader to go through, Evan quickly left his office, heading for the Mess.

"Sir," Coughlin spotted him first, straightening a little until Evan waved him back. Nate noticed the enthusiasm twinkling in his CO's eyes and settled back to find out the reason.

"Sergeant," Lorne greeted Coughlin more formally that usual. "Airman," he continued, nodding to Jimmy Cheung. When he turned to Reed he grinned. "_Senior_ airman."

It took a moment for Dan to work it out and then a huge grin broke out over his face. "Really Sir?" he asked.

"Really," Lorne confirmed. "Colonel Sheppard recommended you for promotion in the last round of reviews," he didn't add that it was based on Evan telling Sheppard that Dan was more than ready to go up a grade. "Congratulations," he said proudly.

"Thank you Sir," Dan looked as his team mates who were also grinning with pride. "Wow," he murmured.

"If you're imagining taking over from me in the near future," Nate teased, "don't."

Coughlin was on the highest grade of staff sergeant so in real terms it would take Reed a while to catch up. By that time Lorne expected Nate would have progressed to Master Sergeant status. A team composed entirely of enlisted personnel wasn't common on Atlantis but Evan wouldn't have it any other way and counted himself lucky to have stumbled across the perfect guys for his team almost from day one.

"Wouldn't dream of it Sir," Reed countered, laughing. "No disrespect Sir," he told Lorne, "but I'm happy having the Sergeant here dealing with all the ah ... the weird stuff."

"Weird stuff?" Lorne chuckled. "That's a label we could apply to ninety percent of what goes on around here Reed."

"I guess so Sir," Reed agreed, "but there are degrees of weird."

"Okay, sure," Evan laughed outright. "Reed's degrees of weird scale. It's got a nice ring to it."

Nate and Jimmy laughed while Dan shrugged, a little embarrassed.

Lorne shook his head. "You're right in one respect though – it's gotten to the stage where the weird is starting to look normal."

"See, now you've been here long enough," Nate commented. "Personally I think I reached that stage when we had a ten thousand year old Doctor Weir in the city."

"Nanite virus that was only deadly for non gene holders," Reed countered.

Lorne had read all the reports, so he knew which incidents the guys were talking about. "What about you Cheung?"

"Not there yet, Sir," Jimmy replied, cracking a small smile.

"Still plenty of time," Lorne said reassuringly.

* * *

Colonel Caldwell approved Prue's off world request, leaving the way clear for Lorne to assign his own team to escort her. Doctor Weir was due back the following day, and with no sign of Colonel Sheppard's return, the timing was right to take Prue to M54-011 the same afternoon.

"Lorne to Doctor Darnell."

"Yes Major," Prue returned quickly. Evan could hear a hint of amusement in her tone – since they'd become 'intimate' she seemed too entertained whenever they were in a situation where she had to address him by his rank. He trusted her to do the right thing when it counted and otherwise had to admit the mischief in her eyes when she 'ranked' him in person was kind of hot.

"M54-011," he said simply.

"I can go?" Prue asked. He'd expected her to be excited and her lack of audible enthusiasm threw him for a second.

"You don't want to?" he queried, eyes narrowed.

"Of course, yes I do," Prue retorted. "Sorry – I was distracted with something else."

"No problem," Evan returned. Distractions, he understood! "Yes, you can go to oh, one, one ... if you can get your skates on quick smart. My team heads out in an hour."

"I'll be ready," Prue promised, signing off.

Evan sat back in his office, considering the woman who'd turned him upside down. There was no doubt she kept him guessing – just when he thought he had her worked out something new would occur to show him otherwise.

That's when he remembered ... the flowers, and Prue's reaction to him having received them. Lorne never followed it up because that had been the day he'd sat in the command chair the first time – and life had gotten more than a little crazy after that. At the very least he wanted to find out if the same flowers grew elsewhere. With any luck that kind of information would narrow the possibilities enough that he'd finally be able solve the mystery of who'd given them to him.

* * *

Morgan materialised as soon as he entered the hologram room, before he'd even walked to the dais. Thinking the doors closed behind him, Lorne stopped.

"Evan, welcome," she greeted him formally. "How may I help you this morning?"

"Occulus," Lorne launched straight in. "According to the database it was destroyed by the Wraith millennia ago."

"Those records are accurate," Morgan confirmed. "What is it you wish to know?"

That was the question, wasn't it? He could hardly ask how someone would go about getting flowers from a long dead planet. "Why did the Wraith destroy it?"

"The Occulans were an advanced people, one of the first to reach a level of technological advancement that would have seen them eventually equal your own race," Morgan began. "When the war with the Wraith reached its peak Occulus threw its might behind Atlantis."

"And paid the ultimate price," Lorne concluded.

"Yes," Morgan agreed. "The Wraith came without warning ... culling those citizens they could take in the first few minutes before the Darts began to fire on the cities. There were Hive ships in orbit firing as well. The Atlantians sent their own ships but it was already too late before they arrived."

"The Occulans didn't stand a chance," Evan shook his head. It was a common theme across the galaxy – the moment a race reached a level where they could threaten the Wraith, the hives responded with planet wide destruction. "Did anyone make it out?"

"Through the efforts of a brave few they found a way to break the hold the Wraith had on the Stargate," Morgan revealed. "Many hundreds of Occulans escaped and were taken in as refugees by the Atlantians, eventually sharing their fate."

"And the planet?" Evan asked, filing away the detail about it being possible to break the 38 minute hold a dial-in had on the Stargate. That was something he was sure McKay would be very interested in.

"Destroyed beyond the capability to sustain life," Morgan said, her expression bleak. "Occulus had an unstable core – her people were working to use that for the good of their civilisation but had not managed to harness the problem before the Wraith attacked. Their efforts were not sufficient to hold back the resulting explosion."

"So ... Occulus isn't there anymore?" Lorne queried.

"The remnants perhaps, but that is all," Morgan replied. "Why do you ask?"

"There was a flower," Evan admitted reluctantly. "Ah ... little star?"

"Astrum vegrandis – tiny star," Morgan corrected. "Occulus was known for it ... the flower was said to have spiritual healing powers, although this was never proven."

"Did it exist on any other planet?" Lorne asked curiously. "Aside from Occulus?"

"No. The flower became extinct when the planet was destroyed." Morgan seemed watchful as Lorne nodded, his expression thoughtful.

"So, there's no way anyone could lay their hands on some here and now," Evan concluded.

"It is unlikely," Morgan agreed. "The Occulans were a generous people but the Astrum vegrandis grew poorly on other planets." She paused. "Is there anything else I can assist you with today Evan?"

"Ah ... no," Evan returned, distracted by his thoughts. If the flower was truly extinct, there were two questions burning in his mind. How was it that he'd received multiple bunches of them? And even more important now, from whom?

Morgan shimmered, about to switch off.

"Wait!" Lorne called out.

"Yes Evan?" Morgan queried in that formal way of hers.

"Where was Occulus?" Evan asked. It didn't really matter but strangely, he wanted to know.

"I will show you," Morgan's image disappeared as a star map was projected overhead.

It had been a while but Lorne recognised it immediately ... the same pattern of stars with the same spot flashing its location insistently. Occulus was the planet the chair had shown him ... just before he'd been dropped into that waking dream.

"_Now that is disturbing_," he thought, eyes locked on the display. Had he called up Occulus on the star map because he'd been thinking about his conversation with Prue just prior to sitting in the chair and somehow the system picked up on it? Or was there another reason for the seeming coincidence?

"Coughlin to Lorne," Nate's voice drew Evan's attention away from the stars.

"Lorne here," Evan glanced at his watch and groaned. He was about to be late. "I'm on my way Sergeant," he said before Nate could point his tardiness out, already thinking the lights off on his way out.

* * *

The MALP they sent to M54-011 showed a planet with a dry, desert-like appearance; dark red sands, rocky near the gate, with rolling hills in all directions, leading down from the high point the gate had been situated on.

"Looks hot," Lorne commented, raising faint smiles from Reed and Coughlin.

"I'll arrange for more sunscreen and wide brimmed hats Sir," Nate quipped.

"You do that Sergeant," Lorne ordered blandly. Coughlin sighed but quickly put in a call for someone to bring what were probably pretty important additional supplies.

"No signs of anyone nearby," Chuck reported, watching the readings carefully. "The temperature is reading as one ten Major."

Lorne frowned – that was more than a little hot. At that level they'd have to be careful to keep hydrated and conserve their energy – and they wouldn't be able to stay as long as he'd planned. "Okay, let's go," Evan turned and led the way down the stairs from the control room.

"Sorry, sorry," Prue rushed in from the side corridor, breathing fast enough Evan was sure she'd run most of the way from her lab. She gave him an awkward, apologetic smile.

"You're good," he told her casually. Casting a glance at her pack he let his brow rise. "How's that pack?"

"Light enough for me to carry it Major," Prue replied, amusement dancing in her eyes.

"Good to hear." Doing a quick visual check on the rest of his team – Nate, Dan and Jimmy – Evan waved a hand towards the gate. "Move out."

The planet felt even hotter than he'd imaged from the images and readings ... as Lorne stepped through the wormhole a wave of heat hit his face, the sun's rays shining right in his eyes. Pulling out his sunglasses he moved away from the gate as he put them on.

Prue stepped through next with Coughlin at her side, Reed and Cheung completing the team. "Atlantis, all clear." Lorne reported.

"Acknowledged," Chuck returned, seconds before the wormhole dissipated. The team all took a few moments to use the sunscreen Coughlin had procured – Lorne was reminded of his first off world mission – McKay and his lifetime exposure to radiation. "_I wonder what the count is now_," Evan thought, smirking.

Once they were done – the necessity more than apparent by how hot they'd all gotten just preparing to head out, and they'd only get worse once they started walking – Lorne looked around quizzically.

"So," he turned to Prue. "Any idea where we'll find what you're looking for?"

"Not really," Prue looked around for a moment too before turning back to Evan. "Somewhere down that path would be my guess."

"Right, let's go," Lorne motioned for Reed and Cheung to take point, falling in behind them with Prue at his side, Coughlin bringing up their six.

"You okay?" Evan asked after they'd been walking a while.

"Of course," Prue smiled over at him. "Why wouldn't I be?"

"I don't know," Evan shrugged. "For someone who wanted to come here you seem a little reluctant, that's all."

Prue sighed. "Once I get this last part of the dialect done the translation software will be as finished as I can make it. I don't know how I feel about that."

"You'll have a place on Atlantis even without the translation project," Lorne said reassuringly. "Aside from still needing a reliable Wraith version, Rodney would hire you right now to work exclusively for his department."

"It's not that," Prue put a hand on his forearm. "I can't help but think that things will be different once it's done ... I guess I'm happy right now and I don't want anything to change."

"It won't," Evan replied firmly.

The path, a covering of small pebbles over hard packed dirt, led down through waist high rocks. A warm wind blew, acting like evaporative air conditioning as they all walked, faces glistening with sweat. It the distance low shrubs could be seen – when the path divided, that was the direction they chose.

Evan adjusted his sunglasses, running a hand through his damp hair and dislodging a few particles of sand carried there by the breeze. "This reminds me of Afghanistan," he murmured.

"Because it's hot," Prue acknowledged.

"Yeah," Evan chuckled. "That and the sand got into everything ... and I mean _everything_. The maintenance load for the jets was ridiculous."

"You don't talk about your past career very often," Prue commented quietly.

"I know," Lorne shrugged. "It's done, you know? The most important thing now is that everything that came before contributed to getting me to Atlantis."

"Do you miss flying jets?" Prue asked curiously.

"I do," Evan shrugged. "I know – I get to fly a Puddle Jumper regularly, and I'm just back from being in command of a space ship ... but ... you never forget your roots, right?"

"No, you never do," Prue agreed wistfully.

* * *

It took two long, exhausting hours, with regular rest stops, to reach the shrubs – low trees that stretched out over the brown sandy ground in either direction. The path continued through, narrowing slightly. If anything it felt hotter once they weren't out in the open, the breeze cut off from flowing freely over them. Talking was kept to a minimum, the heat stealing breath and moisture every time they opened their mouths.

Lorne considered talking to Prue about Occulus – what he'd found out, what she thought it meant. But the conditions were just too difficult – he was fit enough to be doing okay but Prue looked a little pale and tired.

"Stop," Prue said suddenly, her eyes on something just off the path. Before Lorne could grab her she was in the shrubbery, hurrying forward.

"Prue!" Evan shot Coughlin a shared look of irritation before Lorne took off after his impatient girlfriend.

"Here," Prue was kneeling in front of a small structure that put Lorne in mind of a miniature temple. He could see the lines of Ancient travelling up and down the outside – they'd found what they were looking for. When she turned to look at Evan her eyes glistened with tears.

"What is it?" he asked, squatting down beside her, a hand going to her shoulder in instinctive comfort.

"A memorial," Prue said softly. "I can't tell you all of it, just the few words I can translate." She pointed to one section. "This bit is about the death of a race," she said in a low tone, "and here, a plea to be remembered."

"Anything about who they were, or what happened to them?" Evan asked gently, his hand still on her shoulder.

"Not that I can tell so far," Prue sighed, settling back on her heels. "This is reason enough to finish the translation program."

"Because they deserve to be remembered?" Lorne suggested.

"Yes, these people, and others elsewhere who suffered a similar fate," Prue said intently.

"Like Occulus?" He suggested it because the planet was still on his mind.

Prue was silent for a moment, her eyes locked on the small temple. "Like Occulus," she finally agreed, her voice almost too low for him to hear. Evan saw the deep breath she took, knew that she was drawing herself back under control. "I need to record all of these sections," she announced briskly.

"Can I help?"

Prue shot him a small, amused smile. "Did you bring your crayons?"

He laughed, stroking a hand over her hair because something in him needed to comfort her. "No, but I'm sure you have spares."

"I do," Prue stood, holding out a hand to pull him up too. For a moment she hesitated but then, with a rush, she threw herself into his arms. He let her, hugging her close because she seemed to need it. With his eyes on where they'd come from, Lorne saw Coughlin holding back, Reed and Cheung maintaining position on the path.

"Do you want to talk about this now?" Evan asked in a gentle tone, stroking a hand up and down her back comfortingly.

"Not here," Prue replied. She nestled her cheek against his chest for a moment and then with a sigh stepped back. "We need to hurry. I don't know about you but I feel like the heat is sapping all the strength out of me."

"You're not used to it," Lorne commented. "None of us are." He put a hand to her shoulder. "Are you okay to continue? We could come back another time, bring a Jumper now we know where your Ancient text is."

"No, I want to do this now," Prue smiled. "I'll be fine."

Reluctantly Lorne nodded, stepping back to let her get on with her work. It was difficult feeling like you wanted to look after someone but knowing you had to give them the space to do their work. He'd step back this time, let Prue do what she'd come to do. But he'd keep an eye on her too.

* * *

They spent an hour making wax impressions of the little temple and taking photos of the site before Prue was ready to go back to Atlantis. The walk back to the gate was just as draining as the one there had been, more so because of the time they'd spent mostly stationary under the harsh sun ... by the time they got there Lorne felt like he'd lost a few kilos in moisture alone – and that was with the regular water breaks he'd insisted they all take. Evan cast Prue a concerned glance – she was listless and clearly operating on autopilot, enough that she didn't protest when he took her pack, slinging it over his own shoulder.

Back on Atlantis Lorne moved to herd his team and Prue quickly to the infirmary.

"Major?" Caldwell queried, leaving the control room and stopping halfway down the stairs.

"The planet was very hot Sir," Lorne excused his rush. "We're all pretty exhausted."

"Of course," Caldwell nodded, his eyes narrowed on the team in concern. "Get to the infirmary. We'll debrief in the morning."

"Thank you Sir," Lorne gave the temporary commander of the city a grateful nod before continuing on his way.

Carson was quick to react when they walked in, dividing the team up between the available doctors and moving quickly through the usual examinations.

"Well, you're all dehydrated and suffering from mild heat stroke," he advised after everyone was done, his expression serious. "Plenty of fluids, a good night's sleep, and you should all be right as rain by morning."

"Thanks Doc," Evan said. Carson nodded, made to move away but Lorne called him back. "Ah ... is she okay?" he nodded his head towards Prue.

"She doesn't have the same physical reserves as the rest of you," Carson pointed out. "But yes, she'll be fine Major. I suggest you take her to the Mess first – plenty of water, some fruit – and then make sure she gets to bed early."

"I can do that," Evan half smiled. "Again, thank you Carson."

"You're welcome lad," Carson smiled, slapping a hand to Lorne's shoulder before moving away.

Evan levered himself off the examination table and straightened, putting his hand back on the bed to steady himself when the move left him feeling a little dizzy. Since it was minor in the whole scheme of things he pushed it to the side and strode across to where Prue was still sitting. "Come on, let's get you out of here," he suggested gently. Putting an arm around her shoulders he helped Prue stand, sticking close until he felt her find her feet.

"I can walk by myself Major," Prue insisted, her pride rising to the surface and lending her some energy.

"I'm sure you can," Evan agreed, "but since I'm fond of having my arm around you I think I'll leave it where it is, unless you object?" He raised a brow at her expectantly.

"No, no objections," Prue smiled slightly, resting a little of her weight against Evan as they began walking.

"Mess?" he queried Coughlin on the way out.

"Yes Sir," Nate nodded, urging Reed and Cheung to follow along.

The team settled into a table, all of them loaded with bottles of water and whatever fruit was on offer. It wasn't the usual talkative team Lorne, all of them silent as they tiredly quenched their thirst.

"So, we cross M54-011 off the list of team vacation spots, right?" Reed finally found a little of his usual spark.

Lorne gave a tired chuckle. "Hell yes," he returned.

"It wasn't always like that," Prue offered, her tone low.

"Yeah, from the looks of their sun, they were going red giant a long time ago," Lorne agreed.

"But we didn't see any signs of habitation, Sir," Jimmy reminded them.

"Sand, Airman," Evan mimicked shifting hills with one hand. "Given enough time, it'll cover everything like it was never there at all. That happened on M54-011 a long time ago – those shrubs didn't spring up overnight."

"What about that temple thing?" Reed looked to Prue for an answer.

"The top of the tallest spire," Prue explained. "According to the Ancient database it was a common practise to place acknowledgements to the gods at the highest points. When they realised what would happen I expect the residents of M54-011 carved that memorial and put it as high as they could go, hoping that one day someone would come along to find it."

"And today, someone did," Reed smiled, clearly liking that as an example of full circle.

"Yes, today we did," Prue agreed. "And once I extrapolate a translation protocol for that specific dialect and match it to examples from the database I'll be able to add them to the historical records so that no one ever forgets them again."

"Tomorrow," Lorne said firmly. Prue looked like she wanted to protest – Evan was sure she would have if Nate and the others hadn't been there. Any protests she made would be empty because she wasn't capable of putting in any more hours that day. The fact that she was flagging again, the simple conversation seeming to wear her out, spoke its own story.

Evan stood, moving to pack up his and Prue's trays. "I can do that Sir," Coughlin offered, his eyes on Prue, concerned.

"Thanks Nate," Evan smiled, grabbing a couple of bottles of water and then moving to Prue's side. "Come on you – time for that trip to dreamland."

Prue let him draw her up, leaning against him when he adjusted their positions so that he could support her with one arm around her. They walked through the city like that, him taking some of her weight, until they arrived at her door.

Lorne didn't ask – overriding the door lock with barely a flex of his mental muscles he escorted Prue inside, not stopping until he had her sitting on her bed. She watched, a small smile on her face, as he knelt and purposefully took off her boots. "You okay to get cleaned up?" Evan asked when he was done. "I could call Jennifer, if you need help."

"Why would I want Jennifer to help when I have you?" Prue asked, reaching out and touching a light hand to his hair.

"You're okay with that?" Evan checked, feeling himself flush a little. Ridiculous as it was, helping Prue shower and change for sleep seemed somehow more intimate than making love to her would have.

Rather than tease him about his embarrassment, Prue smiled. "I'm okay with that."

"Right, sure, of course," Evan took a moment to get a mental hold of himself and then moved briskly into action.

He wouldn't have said later that he was clinical, but he managed to do what Prue needed without being too obvious about where some of his thoughts had naturally gone. Within the hour he was helping her under the covers of her bed, smoothing them over her before stepping back. He thought the lights down to low, just enough for him to see his way to the door.

They were still at the stage of not staying in each other's quarters overnight – it was one of those lines Prue had drawn that he'd been unable to shift. While she left Evan to sleep and wake alone she could pretend that his life hadn't become hopelessly entwined with hers.

"Stay," her words stopped him in his tracks.

"I ah ...," Evan hesitated, turning back to look at her still form in the shadows.

"Take a shower and come to bed," Prue insisted sleepily.

"Okay," Evan smiled, another layer of amour around his heart disappearing.

Already half asleep, she turned to him when he slid into the bed beside her, shifting until her head rested over his heart. Then, with an exhalation of breath she relaxed. "Evan," it was his name but she murmured it like an endearment.

"Prue," he put emotion into his intonation too, feeling her smile against his chest. "Go to sleep," he told her firmly.

"'kay," she sighed again, falling all the way to sleep between one breath and another.

Evan tightened his arm around her, staring up at the ceiling, his thoughts circling. He wasn't blind to the fact that Prue's sadness over still-unknown-to-him past events seemed heightened when she discovered things in the Ancient database like civilisations that hadn't survived to the present. Because she empathised?

Had she lost more than just her best friend? Had she lost her entire family? He hated to think of her suffering such a tragedy but the comments she'd made, the connections she seemed to draw with other losses, seemed telling to him. He didn't want to be right but if it turned out he was, he'd do everything he possibly could to help her cope with her memories.

Shifting to get comfortable in the narrow bed, Evan willed himself relax until eventually he fell asleep too.


	34. Almost Irresistible

**Authors Note:**

You guys have been so great reviewing the past couple of chapters that you've got me all fired up and keen to post more ... I might not have lots of readers but the ones I've got are pretty great! Thank you all (particularly those I can't reply to directly). So, onwards ... only another nine chapters to go after this one, meaning that all those answers you're looking for are drawing closer!

**Chapter 34: Almost Irresistible**

Carson had been right – they all did feel better after the night's sleep, with no lingering traces of dehydration or heat stroke the following morning. Evan had been looking forward to waking up beside Prue but instead he woke up to her empty room and a note telling him she'd gone down to her lab early. Wondering whether she regretted relying on him the previous evening, Lorne decided to just take it at face value. She was a step away from completing a project she'd been working on for almost a year – of course she'd be eager to get to work.

It was easy for him to put it out of his mind because Doctor Weir finally arrived back in the city, transporting down from the Asgard transport that had returned both her and an unexpected guest. Richard Woolsey ... public face of the I.O.A. Lorne had come across the man from time to time and couldn't decide whether he should feel sorry for him or consign him to the 'useless stooge in a suit' basket.

"Ma'am, welcome back," Evan greeted Elizabeth as he strode down from the Control Room.

"Major, it's good to be back," Weir looked around the Gateroom as though she expected to see changes. "Where are we at on the hive ship?"

Lorne cast Woolsey a curious glance and then looked at the city's leader. "Colonel Sheppard's team and Doctor Beckett should be back in the next day or so."

Elizabeth's eyes narrowed as she considered the various reasons why John and the others weren't there. "Perhaps you could have someone show Mr Woolsey to his quarters," she suggested.

"Yes Ma'am," Lorne motioned for one of the marines on duty to step forward, giving the order.

"Thank you Doctor, Major," Woolsey smiled but on him it looked somewhat ... insincere. He looked around the Gateroom for a moment and then nodded. "I trust you'll make yourself available for interview Major," he commented, nodding again before following the marine away.

"Interview?" Lorne looked at Elizabeth curiously as they walked up the steps to her office.

"I'm being evaluated," Weir said it with a hint of resignation and annoyance in equal parts.

"Ah, I see," Evan shook his head. "The I.O.A. have nothing better to do?"

"Unfortunately not Major," Elizabeth returned, settling into her chair with a smile. After taking a moment to reacquaint herself with her space, she looked at Lorne consideringly. "It seems you've recovered well from the journey home."

"Yes Ma'am," Lorne agreed. "I spent most of the trip on the Daedalus. I suspect that was a good deal easier than being on the hive ship with everyone else."

"In some respects," Elizabeth smiled. "I expect Rodney was ... difficult."

"The crew ran out of food a couple of days out from Atlantis," Lorne replied. "With his condition they made special provisions but ... well, you know Doctor McKay, Ma'am."

"_Yes_," Weir said feelingly. "Now, tell me, where did they go that they're now travelling back?"

Lorne settled back in his chair, spending as much time as was needed to fill Weir in on everything she'd missed.

* * *

The day was busy enough that Evan didn't catch up with Prue again until the end of his shift. When he got to her lab and saw her hunched over her keyboard, he grinned.

"It's good to see that some things remain constant," he quipped, leaning against the door frame. When she didn't reply, his humour dropped away and he regarded her closely ... she looked tired and a little defeated. "Did you leave the lab at all today?" he asked.

"No," Prue looked up briefly but then returned to frowning at her screen.

"Problems?" Evan shifted to walk inside, stopping when he could stand at her shoulder and see what she was seeing. "You know, one day you'll have to teach me to read that."

"I can't even teach myself to read it," Prue retorted.

"Okay, so it's not going well," Evan put his hands on her shoulders and squeezed bracingly. "And you need to take a break."

She stiffened for a moment and then slumped, letting out a sigh. Rubbing a hand over her brow, Prue nodded. "You're right. A walk?" she suggested.

"Fresh air sounds like just what the Doctor ordered," Lorne agreed. There weren't too many places for a long walk outside so he decided to head for the longest Pier – by the time they got to the end hopefully Prue would be feeling a little more relaxed.

Night was falling and the sky slowly changed from blue to a deep purpley black with swirls of orange and yellow in it. A faint breeze brushed over them as they strolled. Once out on the pier Evan held out a hand, smiling when Prue took it, shifting to walk closer to him.

"Better?" he asked once they'd reached the end. Before them was the ocean, almost still, mirroring the colours of the sky. The city was behind them but the pier felt isolated enough they could have been the only two people awake.

Prue took a deep breath, letting it out slowly, her eyes on the horizon. "Seeing the ocean, so vast ... I wonder what its hiding?"

"McKay could tell you," Evan quipped. "I know one thing ... there are whales out there somewhere, or as near as."

"You like whales?" Prue queried, smiling.

"Who doesn't?" Evan joked back.

Prue chuckled, shifting until she could rest her back against his chest. Lorne wrapped his arms around her waist, resting his head against her hair as she moved to lay her hands over his.

"So tell me," Evan invited.

"I'm sorry about yesterday," Prue said.

"Sorry?" Evan frowned as he thought back. "Nothing for you to apologise for."

"Yes there is," Prue insisted, shifting a little to look up at him. "Doing what I do – looking through the database – is like living history sometimes. So much has been lost Evan ... races who could have been ... amazing. Sometimes the sadness of that ... it reminds me too much of other ... losses," she admitted in a low tone. "It overwhelms me – but I shouldn't have let it show during the mission."

"There's no rule about not being able to have an honest human reaction Prue," Evan returned. "Or in showing some compassion for the past. And sometimes it's difficult to distinguish the job from the personal - especially if it cuts close."

He waited, giving her space to pick up the cue he'd created, but she didn't ... and it wasn't something he could push. Whatever tragedy Prue had suffered in her past - and he was convinced now that there _was _something - she had to give him voluntarily. And clearly she wasn't ready yet. With a sigh Evan drew her closer again. "Don't be so hard on yourself," he said gently.

"I ... okay," Prue sighed.

Evan held her close for a few moments and then half smiled. "I can almost hear the wheels turning Prue ... what else is on your mind?"

"I'm being silly," Prue admitted. "Usually it takes a lot longer than a day to add a new dialect to the translation system, but because this is the last one I can insert suddenly I'm impatient." She shook her head against him. "What makes it even more ridiculous is that it may not be the last system of Ancient – I only think it is because the database here doesn't have any evidence to suggest otherwise and we haven't found anything different out in the field."

"The database has always been pretty comprehensive," Lorne pointed out, "but there are ten thousand odd years of updates the Ancients couldn't do because they weren't here."

"Exactly my point," Prue said irritably.

"But," Evan continued, "if they weren't here to keep their database up to date then they also weren't here to corrupt their own language. I'd be more worried about what they changed _before _they started taking notes."

Prue was silent for a moment but then she laughed, turning in Evan's arms so she could look up at him. "You do have a unique way of looking at things, don't you?" she said fondly.

"I try," Lorne quipped.

"Well, thank you," Prue pushed up on tip toes and pressed a kiss to his cheek. When she made to shift back again, Evan tightened his arms.

"Not so fast," he said intently. "I'm not done on the thanking me thing."

"Oh?" Prue smiled.

"Oh," Lorne repeated. Pulling her upwards, he drew her into a kiss that was an entire conversation undertaken with the meeting of lips. He had them both flushed with the heat of desire before he was satisfied that the only thing on Prue's mind was him. "Okay," he said, letting her heels drop back to the ground. "Now I'm done."

Prue looked dazed for a moment ... but quickly shifted into determined. "And what if I'm not done?" she demanded.

"Then I guess dinner can wait a little longer," Evan murmured, drawing her up again.

* * *

Eventually Colonel Sheppard and his team returned to Atlantis, having set up the 'new' human colony of Wraith as they'd planned. The only downside to the mission was Doctor Beckett's unwillingness to leave the Wraith to their own devices. Sheppard had conceded that they needed more time to make sure the treatments would continue to be effective and to ensure the routine of administering them was understood by those Carson had trained for that purpose. When Lorne caught up with John he could tell the Colonel was less than impressed with the situation. Evan knew the Colonel had spoken with Doctor Weir but despite the 'sharing' they'd done while sitting dead in space on the Daedalus, he didn't feel it was his place to question his CO's progress, much as he would have liked.

The presence of Richard Woolsey put a damper on everything ... everyone knew he was there to evaluate Elizabeth and therefore no one wanted to talk to him. Evan didn't believe for one minute that the IOA rep was looking for positives ... no, they were looking for a reason to lay the blame for the remote threat to Earth posed by their letting a Wraith queen into the city on someone shoulders, and Weir was the most likely candidate for that.

When it was his turn to speak to Woolsey, Lorne turned up on time, his expression bland enough that even Prue would have struggled to work out what he was thinking.

"Major," Woolsey greeted him briskly, "please, have a seat."

Evan sat down, casting the other man an expectant look as he waited - because no way was he speaking first. He wasn't out to make it difficult but he wasn't going to make it easy either.

"You were on the Orion during the recent crisis, correct?" Woolsey asked, glancing up from his papers.

"That's right," Lorne agreed.

"And in command when the ship was destroyed by the Wraith Doctor Weir entered into an agreement with," Woolsey continued.

"No," Evan answered.

Woolsey frowned. "You weren't in command?"

"I was in command of the Orion but it wasn't destroyed by our hive ship," Lorne corrected. "There was a second Hive present when we entered the battle."

"One affiliated with our supposed allies," Woolsey pointed out, "who were therefore indirectly responsible for the destruction of what would have been a valuable asset to the city."

"The Orion hadn't been in service for thousands of years," Evan returned. "She was carrying a lot of damage, despite our concerted efforts to repair her."

"Even more reason not to send the ship into battle," Richard countered. "But then, we didn't really have a choice given the threat to Earth. From all the reports it seems obvious that Wraith would even now be orbiting Earth but for the contribution of the Orion - a ship mere luck put into our hands."

"With respect Mr Woolsey," Lorne began, "it wasn't luck that gave us an Ancient ship. The assistance we provide to the people in this galaxy - our program of forging alliances instigated and managed by Doctor Weir - is ultimately what led to our acquisition of the Orion."

Woolsey gave a half grimace, made a note in his file, and then turned the page. "It was Doctor Weir's decision to pursue use of Doctor Beckett's retrovirus as a means of subduing the Wraith threat," he said. "From your own military perspective is that a decision that can be justified, given its consequences?"

"Since I was at the SGC during the entirety of that experiment I don't think I'm well placed to comment," Lorne returned.

"Come now Major," Woolsey tried on a half smile that looked uncomfortable. "You're a seasoned officer with years of experience - surely enough to have an opinion."

"Do I think the Wraith are a threat worthy of trying any means to defeat them?" Evan shot back. "Yes I do. The Ancients spent thousands of years at war and didn't make a dent. Negotiating won't work and there is nothing we have that they want enough to treat us as anything other than a means to survival. Playing it safe will keep Atlantis operational but it won't have an impact on the lives of the people who live here."

"So you think our allies would condone the creation of Michael?" Woolsey asked disbelievingly.

"I think it's too easy to look at something in hindsight and pick apart the actions that lead to that conclusion," Evan returned. "There must be things in your own career of a similar nature Mr Woolsey, decisions you'd make differently if you had the luxury of hindsight."

Richard grimaced again, his expression enough to give Lorne his answer. Yeah, there were definitely things there the IOA man would like to take back. "Does Doctor Weir have the full support of the military leadership here in the city?" he asked, abruptly changing the subject.

"Colonel Sheppard and Doctor Weir provide the city with strong leadership," Lorne replied. "If you want more detail than that you'll have to ask Colonel Sheppard directly."

"You're second in command here Major Lorne," Woolsey pointed out.

"If you're asking whether Doctor Weir has my support then yes, she does," Lorne could feel his impatience rising at the man's continued attempts to get him to discredit Elizabeth in some way. "I've never found her to be anything other than professional and reasoned in her approach to leading this expedition. She cares about the people - here and on all the planets we visit."

"But you've only been here just over a year," Richard made another note and Evan held back the desire to shake his head, imagining he'd written something like 'Ignore Major Lorne's opinion - was absent during bad decisions made by city leadership.'

"I've been here long enough," he corrected blandly. "After all - you've been here a few days, which apparently is more than sufficient to form your own opinion on how the city is managed."

Woolsey narrowed his eyes, not liking that. "The IOA are disappointed at the lack of real gains from having this expedition here Major," he said. "The expense is not inconsiderable and yet for a city with so many wonders it's curious that none have made their way back to Earth. Can you offer an explanation for that?"

"We're talking about technology that's been around thousands of years, that wasn't created for our use," Lorne offered. "Plug and play isn't an option, despite what you see in the movies. That's not to say we won't be able to reengineer viable technologies eventually - that's something you'd have to talk to Doctor McKay about."

Woolsey jotted down more notes, and turned another page.

With outward patience Lorne continued to answer questions as the man slowly made his way back through the various decisions made by Doctor Weir until he'd covered the time period Evan could reasonably be expected to comment on.

"That's all Major," he finally said, not adding a thank you, not that Lorne expected one.

Getting up, Evan stood for a moment and then spoke. "I understand the need for evaluation Mr Woolsey and I'm sure you have a process you're required to follow," he said quietly. "But what is it they say about spending a day walking in another man's shoes?"

Richard's brows rose in surprise ... his gaze sharpening as he considered Lorne anew. Evan met his eyes, satisfied to see that the wheels were turning. That was enough, so without out further conversation he turned and left the room, hoping he'd not have to sit through any more sessions like that.

* * *

Hindsight kicked in for Atlantis a few days later when they lost contact with the Wraith colony. Using their new Hive ship and the skills of Teyla, Sheppard and his team set off to find out why, returning a day later via the Daedalus with Doctor Beckett in tow. As feared, some of the Wraith had reverted and succeeded in sending out a subspace signal before Sheppard could rescue Carson and use the weapons of the Hive ship to destroy the colony. They only just managed to get out in a Puddle Jumper before another Hive ship arrived, destroying Sheppard's vessel and leaving them stranded in space in a cloaked Jumper. Luckily the Daedalus had been dispatched to assist and was able to pick up the Jumper and her crew and return them to Atlantis much faster than would have been possible otherwise.

Woolsey completed his evaluation and gave his recommendation that the leadership of the city should remain unchanged ... the last part of returning the day to day back to what it had been before Michael arrived.

Returning to routine highlighted for Evan how distracted he'd been ... he'd spent time with Prue but since the mission to M54-011 hadn't been actively involved in her completing her translation program. After her early frustration Prue had settled in to patiently plug away at the task ... when he went to her lab at the end of the day shortly after Woolsey's return to Earth, he knew immediately that she was finally done.

Instead of being hunched over her console she was standing at the window, her arms folded over her stomach.

"So," Evan said as he approached, resting his hands lightly on her shoulders.

"So," she repeated, shifting to glance up at him before returning her attention to the ocean.

"You're done?" he queried.

"As much as I can be," Prue agreed.

"And you're less than happy because ...?" he urged her to turn and look at him.

Rather than answer Prue shifted and rested her head against his chest. With a sigh she let him take some of her weight.

Evan wrapped her in a warm hug for a few moments before he shifted back to look down at her. "You're tired," he commented. "How about we make it an early night?"

"Okay," Prue willingly let him take care of her without a single comment.

* * *

_"Do it Major!" Colonel Sheppard yelled._

_A gloom that covered the sky was moving to engulf the city but this was no ordinary storm. Energy pulsed from within, powered by entities who wanted to destroy the foundations of what made the inhabitants of Atlantis what they were._

_"Major!" John was glaring at Evan now._

_"I don't understand Sir," Evan protested, both of them flinching as a pulse of energy hit the tower, sending sparks flying._

_"The shields won't hold," McKay looked sick as he turned to Sheppard. "We are all so dead!"_

_"Unless the Major can activate the shield," John turned back to Evan, demanding action._

_"But McKay just said it won't hold," Lorne protested._

_"Not that shield Major, the other one," Sheppard insisted._

_"**What **other one Sir?" Lorne yelled, frustrated. "I don't know what you're talking about!"_

_"Because you failed to practice as we urged you to," Morgan, the hologram shimmered into life in front of him. "And now you have sealed all our fates, and the fate of those you love back on Earth."_

_"They're breaking through!" McKay yelled._

_Light flashed before everything went out ... lights, equipment, the city itself ... and somewhere in the distance, Prue was screaming for help._

Gasping, Evan lurched up in bed, the lights in his room switching to full without his conscious thought.

"Evan?" Prue blinked, pushing back her hair as she sat up beside him.

"Sorry," he held his palms over his eyes, trying to wipe out the echo of something they'd never seen. "_All in your head_," he told himself repeatedly.

"Can I help?" she asked gently, putting a hand on his back.

"It was just a stupid dream," Evan shook his head, casting her an apologetic look. "I'm sorry I woke you Prue."

"It's okay," she smiled. "Would you think me silly if I said I'm happy about it? Because me being here like this is still fresh and new ... I've got a place that means I get to see this side of you ... and I'm rambling," she laughed awkwardly.

"You're beautiful," Lorne countered, shifting to put his arm around her. "And very understanding," he added, lying down again with Prue beside him. Thinking the lights off, he gathered her close.

"Will you tell me about the dream?" she asked in the darkness.

"It was stupid really," Evan admitted. "I must have been thinking about that damned prophesy thing – probably because the Wraith are no longer an immediate threat. Now my subconscious is trying to fill in the blanks with other threats to the city."

"So you don't usually have nightmares like that?"

"No," Evan hesitated, and then sighed. "Okay, there is a precedent, but not like this. I used to sleepwalk sometimes, until I was ten when it stopped."

"When your father died," Prue guessed gently.

"Yeah," Evan agreed, absently running a strand of her hair through his fingers. "After that I had nightmares, every night at first but over the years they've dwindled to almost never. Can't recall the last time I had one."

"I feel sad that you suffered such a loss so young," Prue had her hand on his chest, her fingers offering him a comforting caress that had him smiling.

"It's been a long time Prue," he said. "I've accepted that my Dad would have stayed if he could. Not that I don't still miss having him around." He grinned. "Man, if he could see where I am, what I get to fly every day, he'd be camped out at the door prepared to wait until someone let him in."

"He flew too?"

"It was flying that -," Evan stopped, corrected himself. "Flying didn't kill him but he was flying when he died. Part of a special navy team - the Blue Angels. Something went wrong with his plane and he ejected too late. No one else was hurt though - they said because of him."

"It sounds like his son might take after him in all the good ways," Prue suggested gently.

"I'd like to think so," Evan agreed. Taking her by surprise he rolled until he was looming over her, pressing her deliciously into the mattress with his body. "Since we're awake anyway," he smiled, dropping a teasing kiss to her lips and rearing away when she surged up to make it more.

Laughing, he repeated the teasing gesture, adding hands that held him over her but took away the weight of him that she craved. She lunged upward again and again he evaded her.

"You are an exasperating man Evan Lorne!" Prue struggled not to laugh as she mock glared up at him. "I must be insane to have fallen in love with you."

The humour fled from his eyes as they met hers, reading seriousness and resolve. "Insane in a happy way?" he still asked.

"How would you put it?" Prue pretended to think and then grinned. "Hell yes!"

He kissed her then, gave her his weight, as hot and heavy as they both wanted it.

"I won't pretend I'm not scared of what comes next," Prue gasped out as Evan trailed a line of fire down her neck with his lips. "But I do love you ... and I'm happy right now."

"Nothing has to change Prue," Evan promised, returning his attention to her lips and effectively cutting off further conversation. They still communicated non verbally though – body language that spoke of love and tenderness and heat and passion, all mixed with that zing of recognition and connection between them.

And if he was fighting back tiredness the next day it only took remembering that Prue loved him to have him deciding it was more than worth it.

* * *

In the few weeks that followed, life was unusually quiet on Atlantis. Prue declared her translation program as complete as it could be, and with obvious relief signed it over to Doctor Weir. It wasn't hers anymore, it was everyone's, and while she seemed a little quiet Evan was also sure she was happy to be able to move on to something else. For himself, it was business as usual, including preparing for the Daedalus's next arrival. That and the usual off world missions.

"What're your plans for the day?" he asked Prue one morning - they'd finished an early breakfast and were walking back towards her lab.

"Doctor Zelenka is briefing me on what they have for the Wraith translator," Prue began. "And Captain Kennedy's team is escorting me on city exploration."

"That's today?" Evan blinked. He knew Prue's schedule pretty well but he didn't approve her requests for specific things like a military escort for research within the city. His team had a scheduled mission to check on crop progress with one of their suppliers, otherwise he would have offered to switch with Kennedy. Instead he had to concede that Prue was right – he couldn't always be the one watching over her.

"You're the one who keeps getting into trouble anyway," she pointed out. "Maybe I should be trying to recruit a team to protect you!"

"Don't pretend you don't already have Nate lined up for that duty," Lorne teased, earning a laugh from Prue. "So, I'll see you when we get back," he said.

"Be careful," Prue ordered, keeping her expression calm.

"Hey, you too," Evan shot back. Grabbing her hand he tugged her in for quick hug, pressing a chaste kiss to her cheek. "Bye," he said in a low tone, touching a hand to her hair before he turned and headed back towards the locker room to gear up.

* * *

"Why is it that the planets all look the same as back on Earth but the crops are totally different?" Reed queried as they team walked back towards the gate. They'd made contact with their allies, toured the fields and been roped into service to begin the harvest, before returning to the village for dinner. It was a good mission, satisfying because Atlantis would be receiving fresh produce within the week.

"That's a good question," Coughlin returned. "What do you think boss?" he smirked as he neatly handballed their younger team mate's question to Lorne.

"I think we should have brought Parrish along to answer that," Evan said easily. "But, in the absence of our resident botanist, I'd guess it's because the similarities are only surface ... you start digging and that's when you discover the differences underneath."

"It looks like one thing but it's really something else," Reed summarised. "That sounds plausible Sir."

"Well then, I'm glad I could help you out there Airman," Lorne drawled, holding his amusement in check.

They cleared the trees before anyone could comment, the Stargate looming into sight.

"Dial Atlantis," Lorne nodded for Reed to do the honours. The gate spun, the chevrons locking in before the wormhole burst forward and snapped into place. "Atlantis, this is Major Lorne," Evan said, entering his IDC. "I know we're ahead of schedule but we're all done here."

"Acknowledged Sir. The shield is down," Chuck replied

"Right, let's go," Lorne nodded for Coughlin to lead the way, the rest of the team falling in behind him with Evan at the rear. When he stepped back onto Atlantis and saw Colonel Sheppard standing there waiting for them, Lorne knew immediately that something was wrong.

"Sir?" he stopped in front of his CO, his eyes narrowing at the Colonel's very serious expression.

"Lorne, good to have you back," Sheppard began.

"Routine mission Sir," Evan dismissed the small talk quickly. "Maybe you should just tell me what's wrong Sir."

"Captain Kennedy's team missed check-in," Sheppard revealed. "I sent out another team to go look where they were supposed to be – Prue filed a pretty detailed exploration plan – but there was no sign of them. Sensors haven't picked up anything ... as of right now they've disappeared into thin air."


	35. Still resisting

**Chapter 35: Still resisting**

"You tried the life signs detector?" Lorne queried, his mind racing. If he was remembering right Prue was out on the south west pier – the infamous site of their first kiss. Frowning, he tried to recall what had been out there – he'd been distracted at the time, and annoyed that Prue was where she shouldn't be. This time she had permission _and_ a military escort, but had still managed to find trouble.

"Went down there with it myself," Sheppard replied. "Nothing – not even a faint blip."

"You won't mind if I try that myself, will you Sir?" Evan didn't even blink when John held out an ancient scanner.

"Thought you'd want to check it out for yourself," the Colonel commented.

Lorne nodded, breaking into long strides as he headed for the nearest transporter to take him to the remote section of the city.

Sheppard kept up easily, motioning for the rest of Lorne's team to hang back for now. Evan didn't notice, all of his attention focussed on finding Prue.

"McKay is adapting the internal sensors to try scanning inside the shielded areas," John said. "And we have three teams sweeping the surrounding floors and the route they would have taken to get there, just in case Kennedy let himself get distracted before they got to their logged destination."

"How long?" Evan asked as they walked into the transporter.

Sheppard let Lorne pick their destination, waiting for the sweep of the beam to deposit them at their new location before he answered. "Since they missed check in, four hours," he said. "They probably just activated some kind of partial lockdown – wouldn't be the first time."

Lorne tried to believe that was the case but a big part of him wasn't buying it. He's already tapped into Atlantis, looking for signs of something like that, without getting anything back. Wherever Prue and Kennedy's team were, it wasn't going to be as simple as just opening a door this time.

Sheppard led the way, down a couple of levels and through a few winding corridors until they were on one of the lower floors of the south west pier tower. Smaller than the main towers it still had plenty of rooms, most of those on the lower floors not yet explored.

"This the spot?" he asked once Colonel Sheppard drew to a stop. From memory they were a level down from where he'd found Prue on a pivotal day that seemed like a long time ago now.

Sheppard nodded. "This is the room Prue requested approval to explore."

"Okay," Lorne walked slowly inside, trying to get a feel for the place first. It looked familiar because it followed the same basic layout and decor as all the other labs in the city. The Ancient's hadn't been big on architectural variety. Activating the life signs detector, Evan did a walk through along each wall, his eyes on the readout.

"Anything?" Sheppard stepped closer, looking over Lorne's shoulder at the display.

"Not exactly Sir," Lorne replied. Frowning, he glanced up at the far wall and then back to the ancient device.

"Is it something or not Major?" John asked pointedly, drawing Evan's attention back to him.

Some part of Lorne read the worry in his CO's eyes and felt kind of touched at the genuine regard the other man had for him and therefore for Prue. As the CO of the entire base he was obviously concerned about Kennedy and his men too and looked just as impatient as Evan to find them.

"These dimensions are _way _off Sir," Lorne explained, holding out the scanner so John could read the screen. Where there should have been a dividing wall there was instead a large space going all the way to the old external wall.

"There's some kind of chamber behind there," Sheppard concluded. Striding forward he put his hand on the wall, his expression intent. "I can just barely make out some kind of system running back there," his expression turned frustrated as he continued, "but I can't activate it from this far away ... there's gotta be something more here."

Evan put his own hand on the wall, turning away from his CO slightly so he could concentrate. "_Is there a way in to the chamber behind this wall?_" he asked the city. Focussed fully on the feedback he was getting mentally, it didn't take Lorne long to work out that the answer was no, not from this side.

"We need to get closer Sir," he said to Sheppard. Not waiting for a directive from John, Lorne strode from the wall, pausing in the doorway before turning right and heading for the stairs. He jogged up one flight and came out on the floor above, moving quickly to the room that would be directly over the chamber they wanted to get into.

"Okay," he murmured, standing in the centre of the room and focussing once again internally, hardly aware that John had followed and was standing beside him, watching the Major intently. "_What about now? Can I get inside that chamber from here?_"

This time the static sounded like an affirmative ... so Evan walked forward slowly until he was almost toe to toe with the far wall. Touching his hand to the cold stone he moved towards the corner until instinct told him to stop.

"What the hell are you doing Lorne?" Sheppard asked with a hint of exasperation.

"Ah ... searching for the door Sir," Lorne said distractedly, crouching low. He knew when he had the right spot ... with a firm mental command to "_Open!_" the door, he just barely had time to lurch back before a portion of the floor slide back into the wall, revealing the room below.

Sheppard crouched too, his torch in hand. Shining it downwards, both men tensed when the beam of light played over four bodies stretched out below, none of them moving. "Wait!" Sheppard shot out when Lorne jumped to his feet, everything in him about getting down to Prue as soon as he could. "You can't just leap down there Major ... we don't know what happened to them yet and the last thing I need is for the same thing to happen to you!"

"With all due respect Sir, I'm not going to stand around up here when I could be doing something to help," Lorne protested.

Sheppard's eyes narrowed as he considered the barely veiled intent to defy any order he might give that kept Lorne away from Prue. Grabbing the life signs detector, John's expression smoothed out as he read the display. "Picking up four life signs, all strong," he announced.

"Permission to go down there Sir," Lorne made it sound more like a statement of fact rather than a request, and Sheppard couldn't help the resulting smirk.

"Who's in charge here Major?" he queried, amused.

"You are of course Sir," Evan returned promptly. "Please don't make me do something we'll both regret."

"Okay – get down there, but for god's sake be careful okay," John returned. "Elizabeth will have my head if I let anything happen to you. For some reason she seems to think we need you around."

"Someone has to go out and rescue you Sir," Lorne commented. His attention was more on the level below that it was on the conversation though. There was really only one way to get down there ... crouching, he grabbed the edge of the doorway in the floor and without pause swung his legs into the hole. Hanging on for a moment, he let go, dropping lightly to the floor. As soon as he landed the lights in the room flickered and then came on - dim, just enough to illuminate the unconscious team ... Kennedy, Jones and Miller closer to the wall with Prue nearer to the centre.

He didn't remember moving but the next instance he was on his knees next to Prue. She was stretched out on her side, looking for all the world like she'd just decided to curl up on the floor and go to sleep. "Prue," Lorne said in a low tone, putting a hand to her cheek. "Prue ... time to wake up now."

Prue's expression shifted into a frown and then her eyes snapped open, connecting instantly with his. "Evan?" she slowly sat up, Lorne shifting back to make room. "What happened?"

"I was hoping you could tell me," Lorne returned. "Are you hurt?"

"Ah ...," Prue paused to take stock, her frown deepening. "No, I feel fine."

Putting a bracing hand to her shoulder, Lorne smiled. "Good, then I can point out that despite telling me to be careful today _you're _the one who fell off the radar for a few hours."

"Hours?" Prue asked incredulously, watching from her sitting position on the floor as Evan moved to the three men and woke them up too.

"Sir?" Kennedy looked around in confusion before his eyes went back to Lorne's face. "I'm sorry Sir – I should have been paying more attention," he looked pained and worried and even more confused.

"We'll start dishing out the blame once we work out what happened Captain," Lorne said blandly. "What's the last thing you remember?"

"How's it going down there Major?" Sheppard's voice drew everyone's eyes upwards. Kennedy groaned, looking even more dismayed. Managing to get lost with the base 2IC's girlfriend in tow was bad enough but having to be found by the military commander added another level of negative notoriety.

"All present and awake Sir," Lorne called out.

"Okay, then sit tight," Sheppard called back. "I'll go arrange some gear to get you out of there."

"Yes Sir," Lorne turned back to Prue as soon as he'd signed off, unable to resist running his eyes over her again. She looked as fine as she'd said she was but he was still concerned. "So, tell me what you can remember," he requested, moving back to her side.

Prue glanced at him thoughtfully. "We were almost at the lab I wanted to check out," she said. "I don't think we would have even seen it, but the lights in this section weren't programmed only to come on when they detect motion, so seeing some stood out."

"There was a light source visible from the stair well Sir," Kennedy took over the explanation. "I thought it wise to check it out first."

"It was the room above us?" Evan queried.

"Yes Sir," Kennedy agreed.

"The weird thing is the light went off as soon as we got in there," Prue frowned. "I was reaching for my torch and then ...," she shrugged. "That's all I remember."

"Me too Sir," Kennedy confirmed. "One minute we were up there in the dark, the next you were shaking us awake."

"So you don't even know how you got down here?" Lorne's eyes narrowed. That didn't sound good. "What was so special about the lab that you wanted to check it out?" he asked Prue.

"I know it's been a while – initially I wanted to look around out here because the database mentioned a language research lab," Prue explained. "I didn't find it that day when we ...," she half smiled before glossing over the 'first kiss' event, "or when I came back with another team. I wrote it off as just another out of date error in the database until the other day when out of the blue I found another reference and realised I'd been searching the wrong level."

"Hence the mission," Lorne nodded – that part at least made sense. For the first time he thought to actually look around the room they were in. Focussing for a moment he thought _'Lights_' with firm authority and was rewarded when they brightened enough to have everyone blinking and wincing before their pupils adjusted.

Lorne hadn't been down there for long, and didn't need as much recovery time. It was almost instant, the time from raising the lights and registering what details he could see, and as soon as he did he froze. "Holy f...," he muttered, walking towards the far wall.

"What is it?" Prue immediately noticed his reaction, moving to stand beside him. "Evan?"

"Ah ...," Lorne held up a hand, silently requesting for her to give him a few minutes. The room was large with high ceilings and stained glass windows, and Ancient inspired carvings in the walls. His eyes were drawn to the cavity at chest level ... with three empty slots for ZPMs in a triangle configuration.

It was the room he'd seen while sitting in the command chair.

The only differences were the lack of moonlight from windows that no longer opened to the outside – and of course the lack of actual ZPMs. What he'd seen must have been like a file copy from an earlier version, before the Ancients build another section onto the pier ... and taken the ZPMs wherever the hell they'd taken them. It didn't even matter that the shield over the cavity was still there – no point in working out how to access the panel from the wrong side when there was nothing inside to make it worthwhile.

"Evan?" Prue said again.

"What?" Lorne glanced down at Prue. "Oh. Sorry," he ran a hand through his hair, turning to see that Kennedy was checking the status of his men, paying them the barest attention as they waited for Colonel Sheppard to return with enough rope to get them out of there. "This is the room," he said in a low tone.

"The room?" Prue's brow knitted as she tried to put his comment into context. "The _ZPM _room?" she asked incredulously. "I thought that was off world somewhere."

"I thought it was," Evan shook his head. "Turns out I was wrong – this is definitely it, down to the ZPM slots – hard to mistake that."

"Then where are they?"

"Your guess is as good as mine," Evan returned. "They probably needed them for the fight with the Wraith – never got back here to replenish the supply."

"What does it do?" Prue nodded towards the cavity.

"I have no idea – and it doesn't really matter since it's missing the key ingredient from my dream. Maybe it was just wishful thinking – inspired by the chair malfunctioning while I was connected to it." Lorne put a hand under her elbow, drawing her away just as Colonel Sheppard reappeared above them.

"Still there Major?" John called down.

"Yes Sir," Lorne said blandly.

"Well, step clear," Sheppard advised, tossing a rope with a rig already attached.

"You're first," Evan told Prue, helping hook her into the 'chair' so whoever was upstairs could pull her up.

Prue complied, giving him a small smile before they started winching her up. It didn't take long to get Kennedy and his team up there as well, leaving Lorne 'til last. He stood in the centre of the room for a moment, hands on his hips as he considered the best approach. Deep down he'd been hoping those ZPMs were real – finding out that wasn't the case was a hell of a letdown. Shaking his head, Lorne grabbed the rope and let his CO pull him out of the disappointing room.

* * *

"How did you do that Major?" Sheppard asked curiously as soon as the debriefing was done. Kennedy's team and Prue had made a stop off in the infirmary beforehand and been given the all clear – no signs of injury but also no signs of what had rendered them all unconscious for so long.

"Do what Sir?" Lorne queried distractedly, gesturing with his head for Prue not to wait for him. She smiled, throwing him a quick wave before leaving him alone with John.

"Find the entrance to that room," Sheppard clarified. "There was no ATA gene recognition attached, otherwise it would have opened as soon as I walked in the room." It wasn't vanity – John's gene usually _was_ the skeleton key to every room on Atlantis.

"I asked the city nicely Sir," Lorne returned, going for plain honestly because he knew John would think he was joking.

"You asked nicely?" John's brows rose in surprise.

"Yes Sir," Lorne met his CO's eyes consideringly. "Did Doctor Weir ever mention that Prue was helping me research whether practice in using the gene has an effect?"

"She mentioned something a while back," John confirmed. "You're saying you could find that door because you practiced?"

"Ah, kind of," Evan agreed.

John's eyes narrowed as he looked at his 2IC. "Just how much progress have you made with that Major?" he asked pointedly.

"It's hard to say Sir," Lorne answered honestly. "Enough to sometimes convince the city to let me do things."

John looked ready to ask more questions if his radio hadn't activated. He put a hand to his ear, listening intently. "I'll be right there Elizabeth," he said, closing off the channel. "We'll talk about this again later Major," he said firmly.

"Yes Sir," Lorne agreed, standing almost to attention as Sheppard gave him another intent look before turning and striding away.

"That could have gone better," Evan muttered with a grimace. Before he spoke to his commanding officer again he'd have to organise his thoughts a little better. Because something told him the time when he could keep himself in the background was running out.

* * *

Lorne expected Sheppard to follow things up with him as soon as his meeting with Doctor Weir was done ... instead the Colonel was drawn into a large scale project fuelled by Rodney McKay and Samantha Carter – an intergalactic gate bridge. The idea was inspired – a series of gates across the divide between galaxies all talking to each other as they sent a person's signal from Atlantis to the Midway station, with a second series then taking the journeyer all the way back to Earth.

Like many great ideas the investment time to make it happen in reality was high – they needed space gates to make it work and would have to find ones that were no longer being used. Lorne was briefed along with the other gate team leaders on what to look for as they headed out on numerous missions to assess likely candidates. No way could they take a gate if the people on the planet it was orbiting needed it. Not that many of them had flight capability.

A week and what felt like fifty off world missions later they'd harvested a few gates but nowhere near enough to satisfy McKay. Lorne needed to run a few things past Colonel Sheppard in preparation for the next arrival of the Daedalus in a couple of weeks but the other man had been so busy Evan was thinking he'd have to resort to actually requesting a meeting.

Deciding to try one more early morning attempt to catch his CO in the city, Evan left Prue sleeping in his bed just after 6am and walked to John's office.

The door was open and before he even got there the sounds of coughing emerged out into the corridor.

"You look like hell Sir," Evan said, assessing his CO with concern. John looked a little flushed and his eyes were glassy, not to mention that Lorne could hear his blocked efforts at breathing from the doorway.

"Feel it," John returned. Coughing a couple of times, he grimaced before focussing on Lorne. "Something I can do for you Major?"

"Just some paperwork you need to check through and sign ... before the Daedalus arrives," Evan explained. "It needs to be done, but right now I think the more pressing need is for you to head back to bed Sir."

"I wish I could," John rubbed his hands over his face. "McKay wants to check out another one of these planets for a space gate. He's got some damn schedule that apparently we're not meeting."

"And he's impatient for the time when his brilliance will be appreciated," Lorne added with a faint smirk.

"That sounds about right," John agreed hoarsely.

"Well then I'll leave you to get ready for that Sir," Lorne said. Giving his CO another concerned look he added "look after that cold Sir," before turning to leave.

"Of course," John agreed. Evan was mostly out the door before he called him back. "I haven't forgotten that chat," he called out.

"No Sir," Evan agreed blandly. "Neither have I."

"Okay – good. Carry on then," John croaked, gestured for Lorne to continue on his way.

Lorne nodded, frowning as he walked away. Maybe he should stop off at Doctor Weir's office ... just casually mention Sheppard's condition. If anyone could get the man to admit that he needed a sick day it was Elizabeth.


	36. Resistible at a distance

**Chapter 36: Resistible at a distance**

"How'd it go Sir?" Lorne met Colonel Sheppard half way up the stairs from the Jumper bay.

"The M.A.L.P. readings were accurate," John replied, his voice still rough with the cold he was suffering. "We found a village complete with a local snake oil salesman. Beckett's gone to see if he's selling anything of value."

"So back to the drawing board on space gates," Evan concluded. Casting his CO a concerned glance he continued. "So you can get a little rest then Sir, before McKay finds another prospect?"

"Hardly," Sheppard gave a short chuckle that turned into painful coughing. "He's already got Zelenka looking at the next possibility - M3R-428. We're heading out again this afternoon."

Lorne frowned but before he could offer an opinion on the merits of the Colonel running around infecting everyone with his cold John held up a hand. "Don't say it Major," he said croakily. "I'll take a break when we get back."

"Okay, good," Evan acknowledged, ignoring Sheppard's smirk. Heading back to his office he started out with catching up on the numerous emails he received from a range of Atlantis personnel every day. It usually took him a couple of hours to action everything and it was after lunch time before he got to the most recent messages. Some of them were requests, some reports on progress with various things he'd taken an interest in, including the work still going on at the site on M4R-322.

The research team was due back after a week spent throwing all they had at translating as many of the columns there as possible, bringing those they couldn't translate on site back for Prue's program to churn through. There would still be plenty of work to place each statement in the broader time line, helped somewhat by Prue's knowledge of the road the Ancient language had taken to get where it was when the Lantean's had abandoned the city.

Since his first trip back to the planet after his return from Earth, Lorne had taken a particular interest in what the columns were 'predicting'. He'd requested a weekly update be sent to him which basically ran through every translated message off the columns. Without a context most of them made little sense but Evan was still hopeful that one would jump out at him and explain away the very notion that he personally was responsible for the fate of the Ascended Ancients. He hadn't talked about it much but it was something that weighed on him, and not just because he thought it was founded on an error of mammoth proportions. What if it were true? What if the fate of all those who's ascended was on his shoulders? He really didn't think he was up to something with the kind of consequences he could think of if he got it wrong. Not to mention that it was a load no one should have to bear alone ...

When Lorne's email pinged mid afternoon and he saw the new message from Prue titled 'Your weekly rundown' he resettled, grinning in anticipation. She'd taken to offering him suggestions for what each translation might mean, usually humorous or at the very least entertaining. Opening the email he started reading.

'_After the dawn of the eleventh millennia shall the road fork. One path ends when all are transformed in his image, the other through times vision returning the galaxy to balance._'

Evan thought about that for a few moments and decided it made very little sense, as usual. Scrolling down to Prue's suggested meaning, he kept reading.

"_Okay, so that one makes even less sense than most of these," _Prue had written._ "If I had to guess – and you know I always do! – I'd say it has something to do with religious worship or gods ... 'in his image'. And of course times vision is about someone who can see the future! Don't laugh – it could happen!_"

Evan shook his head, smiling faintly. Prue was right – these days they couldn't discount anything, no matter how ridiculous it sounded. Moving on to the next few statements he skimmed quickly, some of Prue's suggestions raising a chuckle.

And then abruptly everything turned very serious and he was sitting forward, eyes narrowed.

"_When the need arises, here will the power be found. Beware, for then the battle has already begun._"

"Lorne to Doctor Darnell," he radioed Prue, his voice brisk.

"Darnell here," Prue answered a little absently. "What can I do for you Major?"

"I need to see you in my office Doctor," Lorne requested seriously.

There was a moment's pause and then Prue replied. "On my way."

It only took her a couple of minutes to arrive, her expression shifting to concern when she walked in on Evan's invitation and he immediately closed the door behind her. "What's wrong?" she asked, dropping into the seat across from him.

"The translations you sent me," Evan began. Swivelling his laptop around so she could see the screen, he pointed to the words he'd highlighted. "Particularly this one. Was there anything with it to suggest where it sits inside the timeline?"

Prue read the statement quickly, her lips pursed. "No, not that was noted specifically," she replied. "I can look at the images they took though, see if that has anything?"

"Okay, do that," Lorne nodded, mind still running the angles.

"It sounds like a pretty innocuous statement compared to most of them," Prue suggested. "Why are you so interested in it?"

"Because my gut is telling me it's important," Evan explained. "I know I decided that dream I had in the command chair was just that – a dream – and that you agreed. But think about it Prue. I saw a room it turns out is located here in Atlantis, only in my dream it had three ZPM's powering it. But we don't have three ZPM's. In fact we barely have enough power with the one we have to run the shields or the cloak if we need to." He looked back at his laptop screen and spoke in a low tone. "Here will the power be found."

"You think three two two has ZPMs we haven't found yet?" Prue's brow rose sharply. "Don't they give off some kind of energy signal the Ancient scanners pick up?"

"They do," Evan agreed. "And the day you found the underground part of those ruins I did pick up something big enough to blur all the readings. If I didn't have 'an edge' to focus beyond the instruments I never would have found you."

"But we've not seen any evidence of that since that one time," Prue pointed out.

"I know, and the reason for that is a mystery," Lorne agreed. "But it could be explained by a malfunctioning shield as much as it could by us picking up something that wasn't really there."

"True," Prue nodded, looking thoughtful. Meeting Evan's eyes she seemed to be watching for something before speaking again. "When you take your team there I want to come too."

"What makes you think it'll be my team that goes?" Evan queried.

"Because I know you," Prue smiled. Getting up again she leaned over the desk, ruffling his hair fondly and chuckling when he tried to dodge her. "I'll pull the photos and load up the required module into the portable translator." The entire program was too big to carry around on a laptop, given all the references needed from the Ancient database, so Prue had modulised each of her sources. If she knew in advance which dialect she'd need, she could load only that module and take a portable version off world.

"You do that, smart ass," Lorne grinned. "I'll go talk to Doctor Weir. Colonel Sheppard is still off world but it's a routine mission and they should be back soon enough."

"So you'll let me know when to meet you in the Jumper Bay?" Prue insisted.

"I'll let you know," Evan agreed, shaking his head when she threw him a happy grin before hurrying from his office.

* * *

"Doctor Weir, have you got a few minutes?" Evan stood just inside her doorway, his expression hopeful.

"Of course Major," Elizabeth replied with a welcoming smile. "What can I do for you?"

"I'd like to take my team along with Doctor Darnell to M4R-322 as soon as possible Ma'am," Lorne led in with the conclusion.

"For what purpose Major?" Weir asked curiously, watching Lorne closely.

"The weekly summary sheets off the Ancient columns Ma'am," Lorne explained. He'd decided on the way up to Elizabeth's office that explaining all the steps that had led to his current need to go off world would take too long. Hell, he'd be lucky to get out of her office without a reprimand and an intensive investigation if he took it back to how all this had started.

"I just finished reading that," Weir frowned, tapping a few keys on her laptop to display her own version of Prue's email. "I didn't see anything of note Major."

"The one about needed power Ma'am," Evan pointed out. "The lab Captain Kennedy's team found with Prue a few weeks back was for something that required three ZPM's to power it. All the slots were empty of course and we have no idea what that lab does but that part doesn't actually matter. It's more corroborating that additional ZPM's were needed by the city around the time they were defending against Wraith attack."

"And you think they stored some of those on three two two, even though we've never been able to reproduce the initial scan results suggesting there was something below the surface," Weir concluded.

"Yes ma'am," Lorne said simply. "Look, I know it's a long shot but given our recent troubles with those hive ships any small mention of a possible ZPM is something we need to follow up on."

"I agree Major," Elizabeth smiled slightly. "What makes you think you can detect something the other teams have all failed to find?"

"Practice Ma'am," Lorne shrugged. "I haven't been back there in a while and maybe it's stupid but I was thinking a natural ATA gene along with all the work Prue and I have done to broaden my skills might make the difference."

"Very well," Weir decided quickly. "Ready your team to head out first thing tomorrow morning."

"Thank you Ma'am," Evan smiled.

"Be careful out there Evan," Elizabeth said quietly. "Neither that planet or those columns have been particularly kind to you."

"I know," Lorne agreed. "Prue insisted on coming along. I'm not sure if all of her enthusiasm was necessarily driven by intellectual curiosity."

"I'm sure that's true," Elizabeth smiled. "You're in good hands then."

"Yes Ma'am," Evan grinned.

* * *

Lorne returned to his office, letting Coughlin, Reed and Cheung know about the next days mission and filing the paperwork needed to log in into the system. He took a break for a session in the gym, checked in for an update on the last batch of recruits they'd received before the whole Wraith in the city incident, and then headed to Prue's lab.

"Well?" she asked as soon as she saw him.

"Tomorrow - first thing," he replied, amused at her excitement in being included. "You have been to three two two plenty of times in the past," he reminded her.

"Yes, but not with you," Prue said simply.

"Ah ... okay, sure, you have me there," Evan returned, smiling. Glancing at her workspace he raised a brow. "You ready for dinner?"

"Can we take a walk first?" Prue asked hopefully.

"Sure, of course," Evan held out his hand, taking the one she offered and pulling her close. They walked slowly, talking about inconsequential things as the sky darkened and night fell. Eventually food beckoned and they changed direction, walking to the Mess Hall together. Lorne stopped abruptly in the doorway when he saw what was going on inside.

"Who the hell is that?" he commented to Prue, eyes narrowed as he watched a stranger taking centre stage amongst what looked like the entire staff of Atlantis. The man was telling some kind of story, both rivetting and amusing if the reactions of those around him were any indicator.

"You don't know him?" Prue asked curiously.

"No," Evan returned. "Which is odd because I should have been informed of any visitors to the city."

They looked back to the crowd again - there was something disturbing about the way everyone hung off the strangers words - including Teyla, Ronon who was laughing like Evan had never seen before, and Doctor Weir. "This is ... weird," he muttered, appetite abruptly dropping away. "Let's go and find Colonel Sheppard."

Prue nodded, falling into step beside Lorne as they walked back the way they'd come. They stumbled across John and Rodney half way down the hallway, the two still arguing about the planet they'd just come back from.

"Sir," Lorne greeted the Colonel purposefully.

"Major, problems?" John queried, still croaking more than speaking, picking up on Evan's tone immediately.

"That depends Sir," Lorne replied. "Are you aware that we have quite the captivating visitor in the city?"

"Oh, right, Lucius Luvin," Sheppard coughed, shaking his head. "Sorry Lorne - I should have told you about him. Carson brought him back just before McKay and I left - I've got Teyla and Ronon watching him."

"You might want to check up on that Sir," Lorne advised, glancing at Prue before continuing. "Something seemed a little off," he suggested, getting a nod of agreement from Prue.

"Okay, we'll check it out," John agreed. "Leave it with me Major."

"Thank you Sir," Lorne motioned for Prue to start walking again, glancing back once to see John and Rodney almost at the Mess Hall door.

"You don't want to go back there, help Colonel Sheppard?" Prue asked.

"The Colonel knows the guy," Evan pointed out. "Sounded like he wanted to handle it himself. We'll pick up something from the kitchen later, okay?"

"Okay," Prue agreed. "I still need to prepare a few things for the mission anyway."

"I'll help," Lorne offered.

* * *

Early the next morning Lorne and Prue met the rest of the team in the locker room where they usually geared up for off world missions. Talking was minimal - despite everyone having had an early night. Evan did query whether any of his team had met Lucius the previous night but got a negative from all of them.

He put the previous night's strangeness out of his mind, sure that Colonel Sheppard would have it all under control. The control room was still on minimal staff - not unusual for such an early departure. Lorne requested the on duty technician dial M4R-322, getting an overly cheerful acknowledgement before the gate began spinning.

It felt nicely familiar to step through the gate onto M4R-322. As Lorne took stock of the conditions – nice warm day, slight breeze, no one hanging around near the gate – he decided the planet was up there on his list of favourites. For the people like Teneo and Kara, for the key moments between him and Prue, the positives outweighing that one moment where things could have been horribly different.

"Sir?" Coughlin moved up to stand beside his CO, his expression quizzical.

"Just smelling the flowers Sergeant," Evan said casually.

"Ah ... of course Sir," Nate returned, clearly holding in his amusement. "I don't want to hurry you Sir but ... what's the plan?"

"I'm done," Lorne announced, turning to see Prue step through the gate last, Reed beside her. When she saw him looking at her she smiled, raising a brow in query.

"Airman, take the lead," he ordered. "Head towards where we initially detected that energy signature."

"Yes Sir," Dan grinned, obviously keen to be in front. Pulling out his ancient scanner, Reed got his bearings and then moved forward confidently. Airman Cheung dropped into step beside his team mate, the two youngest members of Lorne's team firmly focussed on their mission.

Coughlin glanced at Lorne, nodding at the unspoken order for him to bring up their rear, leaving Evan and Prue to walk together in the middle.

"So your plan is just to stumble over these ZPMs?" Prue queried, teasing just a little.

"Unless you have a different idea, yeah," Evan agreed with a shrug. "It's not completely random though – Dan and I both agreed on what we picked up previously. I can't tell you why that signal disappeared, just that it _was_ there."

"I believe you," Prue said simply.

"Well thank you Ma'am," Lorne grinned. "The faith is very nice ... and hopefully the results will measure up."

"Are we stopping to see Teneo?" Prue asked.

"Not this time," Evan looked upwards, noting the position of the sun as they entered the forest. "It's still early but I want to give us as much daylight as possible."

Prue nodded, not looking overly disappointed. Kara had visited Atlantis several times to learn about the systems and Atlantis teams had also spent plenty of time with Teneo and Kara as hosts. Although there wasn't much in the way of resources to offer, the people had become firm allies for the Lanteans.

The walk through the forest was uneventful if long. They passed the first set of ruins and moved further into the depths of the forest until they emerged into a small clearing. Lorne looked at his own ancient scanner, eyes narrowed.

"Hold up," he called out to Reed, glancing around. The rest of the team stopped, moving back to stand nearby. Evan considered his options as he looked at the blank screen. There was nothing there, just as there'd been nothing all the other times he and anyone else with an Ancient scanner had tried to rediscover that elusive energy signature. And yet Lorne was sure something was there to be found. Eyes on the square opening – the broken column moved safely aside and a shelter constructed over the top of it – he decided to follow his instincts. "We go down to the chamber below."

"Other teams haven't found anything down there, Sir," Coughlin pointed out.

"But we're not other teams, are we Nate?" Lorne slapped a hand to his second's shoulder fondly before lifting his pack off his back and dropping it to the ground. Luckily they didn't have to rig their own means of getting down to the underground sectors of the ruins – the rope ladder and supports set up for easy access by a prior team.

Glancing over at Prue, Evan raised a brow. "Okay?"

"I'm happy to look around again," Prue said easily, a small smile gracing her features. "It wouldn't be the first time you saw something everyone else missed."

"I'll take that as a compliment," Evan returned with a grin.

Moving to the entrance he squatted, looking down into the darkness. He hadn't personally been down there since his rescue of Prue and Kara and a part of him wasn't looking forward to revisiting that scene. But if they found something even half as valuable as a single ZPM it would be worth the personal discomfort. Glancing at Cheung and Reed he made a quick decision – despite the lack of any trouble on the planet during any visits from Atlantis personnel he had to leave someone on the surface and Dan's gene could be useful.

"Jimmy – stand guard while we're down there," he ordered. The young man nodded, his expression making it clear he didn't mind the duty he'd been assigned.

Lorne stood, pulling a torch from one of the pockets on his vest and switching it on. "I'll go first. Reed, help Prue and then follow her down. Coughlin, you'll be last."

Everyone nodded, readying their own gear in preparation for the climb down.

The ladder was sturdy and secure and easy to traverse – a few minutes later Evan was on the floor below, shining his torch around as he waited for Prue and his men to join him.

He could see signs of prior visits – the rubble from the column collapse had been cleared away, along with years of accumulated dust and grime. There was a generator attached to some lights – moving quickly to get it started he had the lights slowly powering up by the time Prue and Reed were on the ground.

"So, what now?" Prue asked, standing beside Lorne, her eyes tracking around the room.

"Being the Ancients, there has to be another way in or out of here," Evan replied. Touching a hand to hers he moved away, walking to the nearest wall. Putting a hand to the surface he felt for an opening, moving slowly and carefully as he began a circuit. Prue decided to join him, Nate and Dan taking the opposite direction.

Of course it wasn't as easy as that – when they met on the other side of the room it was empty handed. There was no secret opening, at least not one that could be found by touch alone.

"Do these symbols mean anything?" Lorne asked Prue, pointing to the markings carved into the floor in the middle of the room.

"Of course," Prue said briskly.

"Are you going to tell me what they say?" Evan asked after she remained silent, ignoring the amused look that crossed Nate's face.

"Well, since you asked me so nicely," Prue teased. Standing at the head of the circular group of symbols she waited for Lorne to join her before beginning. "The centre is the light and the reflection of truth."

Evan frowned, thinking over the words.

"Doesn't sound all that helpful to me, Sir," Reed commented.

"We need to put ourselves into the shoes of an Ancient," Lorne instructed thoughtfully. "Assuming they didn't deliberately set out to be cryptic, the obvious meaning is ...," he trailed off, looking directly above him. "Anybody got a mirror?" he asked.

Prue rummaged in her pack, pulling out a small circular mirror and handing it to Evan wordlessly.

"Thanks," Lorne murmured. Kneeling, he placed the mirror on the floor and then stepped back. "Cheung," he radioed their teammate on the surface.

"Sir?"

"Due east of the underground entrance is another, smaller opening, like a port hole," Evan instructed. "It's covered over so we need you to clear whatever's blocking the light."

"Yes Sir," Cheung acknowledged.

"Radio me when you've found it," Lorne ordered before cutting the connection.

"There's not a lot of light getting through the trees up there Sir," Nate pointed out.

"Yeah, I know," Lorne agreed. "But there are a few gaps, not big enough for a Jumper but still enough to let in a little sunlight. It's a clear day so if this is going to work, today is as good a day as any to try it out."

"You think the light will be reflected by the mirror and show us the way out?" Prue asked.

"Something like that," Evan agreed with a shrug. He glanced at her with a faint smirk. "It's a little too Indiana Jones in some respects but the Ancient Egyptians did use mirrors and direct sunlight to illuminate their temples. Since we now know some of that culture came from early contact with the Ancients it's not that farfetched to see something similar here."

"No, it's not," Prue took his hand and squeezed in approvingly.

"Sir," Cheung's voice from above interrupted them.

"You found it?" Lorne asked.

"I think so Sir," Jimmy replied. "Kind of," he added, quickly following on with an explanation. "There's one of those marker things about where you said to look Sir. Only trouble is it's buried pretty deep. It'll take me a while to dig it out Sir."

"Acknowledged," Lorne returned. "I'll send Coughlin and Reed up to help you – that should speed things up."

"Thank you Sir," Cheung replied.

"You're going to wait down here Sir?" Nate asked, his concern evident.

"No point in all of us climbing back up that ladder Sergeant," Lorne dismissed casually. Meeting his second's eyes he said more seriously "we won't do anything until you get back down here."

"Good," Nate smiled, motioning for Reed to precede him up the ladder.

As soon as the two men had disappeared over the top of the opening Evan turned back to Prue, taking her hands and drawing her back to the centre of the room where he'd placed the mirror on the floor. As one they looked up at the ceiling and then back to each other.

"This probably won't work," Lorne commented. "If the light hits the mirror head on it'll just get reflected straight back up."

"Maybe it won't be head on," Prue suggested. She shifted to look around the room, trying to imagine where a beam of light would be most effective illumination. "There are a lot of shadows here," she commented uneasily, shifting closer.

"What, you've been here multiple times but only now are you worried this place is hiding something sinister?" Evan teased, putting his hands to her shoulders and squeezing bracingly. "Don't worry Honey – I'll protect you."

"Why is it you only call me that when you're being sarcastic or condescending?" Prue complained, pulling away from him with a disgruntled pout good enough that Evan wasn't sure if she was teasing or not.

"You _want _me to call you Honey?" Evan asked, surprised.

"No!" Prue rolled her eyes, exasperated. "Especially not when you're teasing me!"

"Oh ... right," Lorne grabbed her hands again, pulling her closer. "What about sweetheart?"

She grimaced.

"Darling?" Evan's eyes twinkled in the spotlights.

Prue screwed up her nose, shaking her head slightly.

"So ... honey, sweetheart and darling are all out," Evan summarised. "Any endearments you _do_ like?"

Prue smoothed her hands over his chest, appearing to think about it. The look she gave him from under her lashes was both sexy and shy. "I like the way you say my name," she admitted in a low tone.

"What ... Prue?" Lorne blinked, surprised by her answer.

"Yes – just like that," Prue smiled.

"Prue," Evan repeated it because he could, his eyes intent on hers. They were silent for a moment, just looking at each other. "If I wasn't on duty I'd be kissing you right now," he admitted.

"If I wasn't on duty I'd be letting you," Prue returned cheekily.

"Sir," Coughlin's voice provided a timely interruption. "We're almost through."

"Very good," Lorne replied. Again he and Prue looked up, this time able to just make out the small circular window in the ceiling that was slowly getting lighter and lighter as the guys up on the surface removed the dirt on top of it.

"We should step back," Prue said suddenly, using the hold she still had on Evan's hands to pull him back with her.

"All clear Sir," Coughlin reported at the same time as full sunlight shone through the window.

The beam of light seemed to travel down an invisible wire towards the mirror on the floor. Lorne had been right – when it hit the mirror it travelled straight back up the same path until somewhere just past halfway it stopped.

"Is that ...?" Lorne trailed off, eyes narrowed on what started out as a small circle of light that steadily grew bigger until with a flash it burst out in four directions, each new beam hitting the centre of each of the walls.

There was an ominous grating sound from beneath them and Evan had just enough time to push Prue clear before the middle circle of floor dropped away, taking him with it.

The fall was long and the landing hard ... the all encompassing pain of his broken body and Prue screaming his name a brief flash on his awareness before he blacked out.


	37. You can't go home

**Authors Note:**

Apologies for the lack of review replies - thanks to everyone who took the time to review the last chapter. Here is the follow up and it's a doosey so ... if you haven't reviewed in the past, this might just be the time to let me know what you think!

**Chapter 37: You can't go home**

"Evan? Please ... oh God," Prue's voice shook as much as the hands she placed gingerly over his chest. Lorne was shifting in and out of consciousness, just barely with it enough to know that somehow she was beside him.

He wanted to answer her ... he tried to but the effort only sent him back to the blackness.

* * *

"Evan ... please come back to me," her voice was still shaking, thick now with tears. She sniffed, and one of those tears landed on his cheek.

"Don't ... cry," he whispered through lips red with his own blood. He wanted to add that he'd be okay but he knew this time that wasn't going to be the case. Everything was pain ... the parts of himself he could feel anyway. That didn't include any of his extremities - he knew enough to understand that wasn't a good sign. He wanted to touch her but trying to move ramped up the pain and he lost touch again.

* * *

"Help me please!" Prue was standing beside him now, her voice a hoarse plea. "Somebody help me!"

Evan struggled to open his eyes ... the edges of his vision were fuzzy but he saw Prue clearly, saw the spiralling light that appeared above them and slowly drifted down.

Prue's reaction wasn't surprise or fear. Instead she addressed the light with familiarity. "Fee ... it's really you. Oh God ... I remember now! I remember everything!" Prue stepped closer to the light. "You know it isn't meant to be this way. You can help him. _Please_."

The light brightened and then coalesced until it was replaced by another woman, dark haired, slender, and of a similar height to Prue. "Who can say what is meant and what is not?" she returned emotionlessly.

"I can!" Prue shot back desperately. "We both know what the others believe. Without him we will all perish or be taken over by those without purpose or scruples. They will destroy everything. I would heal him myself but you know I no longer have the power."

"Because you gave it up to be with him," the words weren't harsh or judgemental, but merely factual.

"I gave up everything to help him – to help his people so that they would be ready to help us!" Prue exclaimed.

Evan lay on the floor, the physical pain receding into numbness. He didn't want to believe what his eyes and ears were telling him – that Prue had summoned an ascended being, one she knew from personal experience. Her best friend – the one she'd told him she'd lost just before coming to Atlantis. There had to be an explanation he could live with ... Evan tried to cling to that but the pain in his heart sprang into life to mock his trust. "_Prue_?" he whispered her name despairingly.

"Evan," Prue dropped to her knees at his side, one hand smoothing his hair back, her eyes swimming with tears. "You're going to be fine, okay. I'm going to fix this," she promised him determinedly. Looking back over her shoulder to where her friend stood watching, she continued. "We're going to fix this."

Fee looked at them both silently before moving closer. "You are sure?" she asked Prue. "He will not forgive you Devia."

"I don't care!" Prue got up again, grabbing her friend's hands and clinging tightly. "He must live ... I can't continue in this task if you let him die Fee. For what we once were to each other ... for Occulus. You must do this now ... before it is too late." She took a shuddering breath, stepping back and sitting beside Evan again. Taking his hand she held it to her face, her eyes on his. "He doesn't have much time Fee. I will take full responsibility," she said with quiet intent.

"Very well," Fee finally agreed. She moved to Evan's other side, kneeling down and putting her hands on his chest. "Be ready Evan Lorne," she warned. The light around her brightened, the warmth centred on where she was touching him. He knew the Ancient's had healing powers – he'd read the report from Colonel Sheppard's time at the sanctuary – but nowhere did it say how much it hurt to be healed.

The pain was excruciating – at least as bad as the injuries themselves and without the welcome numbness. He couldn't help but cry out, his body writhing on the floor.

"Hang on Evan," Prue was at his shoulders now, leaning over him so that his vision was full of her.

Fee continued her invasion – every molecule of his being was touched by her power as she repaired damaged organs and knitted back together every one of his broken bones. The heat was intense – it came off him in waves that raised beads of sweat all over him. His heart galloped unevenly, every breath he took insufficient to stop the feeling of suffocation that had panic swirling through his mind. His insides crawled with a host of unpleasant sensations. He'd never wanted to get away from himself more than he did right then but he couldn't. Reality ... time itself seemed to lose its meaning.

And then abruptly it stopped and he could breathe easy again.

"It is done," Fee announced.

"Thank you," Prue got up, moving to stand before her friend. "I ... I don't have the words," she whispered brokenly.

"It is because of you that I am here Devia," Fee said simply. "You asked me to watch over you ... to watch over him. And so I have. I wish I could help you face so easily what is still to come."

"As do I," Prue murmured.

Throwing herself forward, she hugged her friend close. Fee looked uncomfortable, her body stiff, but abruptly she relaxed, returning the embrace. "I miss you still," Fee said.

"Me too," Prue returned. "That was one thing I never forgot."

Stepping back, Fee cast Evan an intent gaze. "This day's events are not as they appear Evan Lorne. If you fail to see this ... if you hurt Devia ... I will return and take back the gift I have given you."

"Fee!" Prue protested.

"It is done," Fee spoke to the heavens. Raising her arms side, she called back the light. It brightened until they had to look away. When they could look back she was gone, the chamber returned to its former dimness.

Evan sat up, hardly able to believe the truth. The pain was gone. His injuries were gone. It was as though he'd never fallen to his almost death less than an hour before.

Getting to his feet he turned to face Prue. "What the hell was that?" he demanded. "And who the hell is Devia?"

"She is me," Prue admitted tearfully, "or at least, she was. I'm so sorry Evan."

"You're sorry?" he asked incredulously, anger like he'd never known burning inside. "Everything about you is a lie Prue and all you can say is you're sorry?"

"There are reasons ... reasons bigger than me," she swallowed visibly, wrapping her arms around her middle.

"I should have pushed you!" Lorne said, keeping his anger in check with difficultly. "I _knew_ there was something off but I ignored it because I ...," he bit back the words. Because he loved her ... that's why he'd ignored the warning signs, although God knows he'd never have pegged her secret for being as huge as it had turned out to be. "You're one of them?" he asked harshly. "You're an ascended Ancient?"

"Not exactly – I did ascend but I was never one of those you call Ancients. I wanted to tell you everything but it was forbidden," Prue admitted. "They would have removed me before letting me reveal myself. And then they would have sent someone else – someone who wouldn't have cared about you like I did."

"Right, sure, of course," Lorne scoffed with painful sarcasm, "because _everyone_ shows who much they care by lying through their teeth every second of the day!"

"It wasn't a lie!" Prue protested forcefully. Rushing forward she grabbed his forearms, jerking him towards her desperately. "Only the origins of my existence were false Evan. Please, you have to believe me!"

His anger dropped away abruptly, overwhelmed by the sadness and regret that arrived to replace it. "I'm not sure I can believe anything ever again," Evan said quietly, turning away. For the first time in his life Lorne had no idea what to do next ... what to do with her. How in the hell was he supposed to handle this? Could he turn her in for not being what they'd all assumed she was? And how was that even possible anyway? She had a history – she knew things about Earth like she really had grown up there. The whole thing was confusing as hell and he desperately wanted a few minutes of mental silence so he could get his bearings back.

The room was dimly lit from the lights above but Lorne's eyes had adjusted enough that he could see where it was he'd fallen. In the drama of almost dying and then being healed he hadn't really paid any attention to his surroundings. Needing the distraction he glanced around with little real interest – until his eyes landed on the far wall and that pretence fell away.

"Evan, please," Prue began again, stopping when he held up his hand for quiet.

"Not now," he said tersely, pulling out his torch and shining it ahead of him as he walked quickly forward. His eyes translated what he was seeing but his brain struggled to comprehend. "ZPMs," he murmured, his torchlight illuminating three cylindrical objects slotted into place in a triangle. "We actually found them!" He wasn't sure why but he knew instinctively that they were fully charged, even though they weren't currently active.

"As you were meant to," another voice in the chamber had Prue and Evan both spinning around.

"_Morgan_?" Lorne's voice was incredulous as he took in an image he'd only previously seen in the hologram room back on Atlantis. He turned to glare at Prue, the anger back in full force. "Somebody better tell me what the hell is going on here!"

"It is time Evan Lorne," Morgan ignored his demands.

"Time for what?" Evan shouted, pacing away, a hand running through his hair in agitation. Turning back he held up a hand. "No, you know what? Don't even bother answering that because I am done here." Striding past Prue and Morgan he reached for the rope ladder Prue must have appropriated from the room above them to get down to him so quickly.

"You cannot be done," Morgan's voice resonated off the walls, stopping him in his tracks.

"I _can_," he promised grimly. "And I'm done with the lies and the manipulation and the cryptic crap too. So if you want me to listen then you'll start telling me the unvarnished truth."

"Very well," Morgan agreed. "But you must agree to do as we ask ... the clock has already begun ticking."

"I'm not agreeing to anything before I get that explanation," Lorne insisted stubbornly. He was aware that Prue stood behind him but he had to shut her out – her surprise at seeing Morgan had seemed genuine but then, everything else about her had too, and look how wrong that had turned out to be.

"What you know of those who Ascended is not the entirety of our existence," Morgan began without further preamble. "We are as one in our purpose, in the control we place on our collective, but this is not by choice. During the dawn of this phase in our existence many of our kind struggled to let go of the concerns of our prior selves. We were weak ... the power we had to be in all places at all times was too much and many of us chose to use it to hover over the affairs of the lower planes, over those we had known. Changes were made ... history was altered all in the name of good intentions ... until our actions threatened the very fabric of creation. Unity was needed and so we agreed to abide by rules that would separate us from this plane. Together we corrected our wrongs and together we ensured that such events could never happen again."

"Thanks for the history lesson but I don't see what it has to do with us right now," Lorne commented impatiently.

"True unity is difficult to create," Morgan revealed. "An individual straying from the path is quickly detected and punishment delivered swiftly, but if more than one were to stray such swift action would not be as easy. A group of our kind will band together to create their own unity. They will be too strong for us to control. They will not be disciplined. And they will bring about the end of our kind, followed swiftly by the use of your kind as tools for their own amusement. The fabric will be irrevocably damaged until there is nothing left."

"You said will?" Lorne frowned. "Are you suggesting this new group doesn't exist yet?"

"Precisely," Morgan confirmed. "We are all places in all times. Our end has been seen ... experienced ... time and time again. We have attempted through our own efforts to avoid this fate but all of our paths lead to the same conclusion. As soon as we give up our rules to save ourselves our very existence spirals out of control and into chaos. It is inevitable."

"Wait a minute!" Evan shook his head, a harsh chuckle escaping him. "You think I can do what the collective power of who knows how many ascended beings can't? That's insane!"

"You have what is needed Evan Lorne," Morgan said serenely. "And you have come by it through your own efforts."

"Right, mine and the mole you planted in our ranks," Lorne shot back. "But I guess it's not cheating since you made Prue human to get the job done."

"Devia chose to return to human form," Morgan explained. "We took from her every advantage gained from being formerly ascended, leaving only what she was before her death and what she strived through honest effort to acquire after that. She is as much one of your kind as anyone else. Our only subterfuge was in taking from you all that she needed to be convincing in her role as one from your own planet."

"Look, I don't really care about any of that," Evan denied, even though a part of him wanted nothing more than to have every action and every mystery that was Prue explained to him in minute detail. But it didn't matter – because she wasn't even Prue. She was Devia – a stranger. His Prue didn't exist, she never had. That realisation rose sharply into focus, bringing with it a wave of grief that threatened to crush him. "_Not the time_," he thought harshly, reigning it all in. "Just tell me what it is you expect me to do."

"It began as soon as you found the alternative shield," Morgan revealed. "They form as we speak and they will come to destroy Atlantis."

"And I assume this alternative shield is the decide that needs three ZPM's to power it," Lorne shook his head. "How can that be a threat to them? They're ascended."

"Yes, but as a unity they are still weak," Morgan explained. "They can be contained. The shield was originally designed by your ancestors as a way to store energy sourced from beyond this plane of existence. They were unable to complete their research before the Wraith threat necessitated all resources be directed towards solving it. It is our belief that the shield can be used to stop the new unity before it is too strong. But only if operated by one with supreme control over the Ancient city. The new unity are aware of the threat the shield poses to them – as soon as you discovered it their course was set. They do not believe a mere human will be strong enough to stop them but we know differently."

"Yeah, like I didn't see _that_ one coming," Lorne muttered, looking down at the ground, his mind racing. He wasn't sure how much of Morgan's story to believe. Clearly his judgement was flawed – the sooner he could get back to Atlantis and offload the whole thing on Doctor Weir and Colonel Sheppard the better.

"You must hurry Evan," Morgan intoned. "Already they approach."

"I'll take your story back to Atlantis," Lorne declared, "along with the ZPM's. But that's it – I'm not promising anything. It won't be my decision anyway."

"These events are unavoidable," Morgan insisted. "Go back to Atlantis Evan Lorne ... and be ready for what comes."

With a flash she was gone, leaving a grim silence behind her.


	38. Home isn't what it used to be

**Chapter 38: Home isn't what it used to be**

"Evan," Prue's voice broke the silence, her plea one Lorne just couldn't answer.

"Not now," he ordered, refusing to look at her. "We need to get back to Atlantis."

The atmosphere was thick with unspoken words as they quickly shifted into action, carefully removing the three ZPM's and placing them in Evan's pack. A silent climb back up the rope ladder and they were one level away from being back on the surface.

"Lorne to Coughlin," Evan radioed as soon as they were under the opening.

"Sir!" Nate's voice was heavy with relief. "I've been radioing you at five minute intervals for the past hour. This is gonna sound crazy but no matter how much we tried to get through the opening up here, we couldn't. You're okay?"

Lorne wondered for a second who was responsible for keeping his team away - Fidesia or Morgan - but then decided it didn't really matter. They'd gotten what they'd wanted from him here, by whatever means necessary. "Long story Sergeant but yes, I'm fine," he replied to Coughlin. "Drop a rope down here. We need to get back to the gate asap."

"Understood," Coughlin acknowledged.

Lorne gestured for Prue to go first, waiting until his team had pulled her up to safety before climbing up the rope himself.

When he got to the top and straightened, all three of his men let out audible gasps. "Is all that yours?" Nate asked numbly, gesturing to Evan's uniform.

Lorne glanced down at himself. Damn, that was a lot of blood, the sight reinforcing just how close he'd come to the end. "Ah – yeah," he met Nate's eyes and shrugged. "Like I said, long story, and one we don't have time for right now. We need to get these back to Atlantis," he opened his pack, showing them the ZPM's.

"Holy Moses," Reed exclaimed, wide eyed. "Doctor McKay is gonna have a fit!"

"Probably," Lorne agreed humourlessly. Ordinarily he'd have smiled over the image of Rodney McKay's reaction to getting three fully charged ZPMs but he just didn't have it in him. "Let's go," he ordered, moving forward to take point.

Coughlin watched his CO go, turning a frowning look back to Prue. "Is he ...?"

"He's fine," Prue's lips trembled and her eyes filled with tears.

"Are _you_ okay?" Nate asked, motioning for Reed and Cheung to follow their CO while he and Prue brought up the rear.

"Not really," Prue replied. "I did something Nate ... something he won't forgive me for."

"The Boss loves you," Nate insisted. "You can forgive a lot for someone you love."

"Not this time," Prue insisted sadly. Putting a hand to Coughlin's forearm she tried to smile. "But thank you for the effort," she said softly.

Nate frowned as he watched her walking numbly beside him, turning his gaze to where Lorne strode along ahead of them, his posture stiff and imposing. He wanted to know what had happened down in that chamber but at the same time he was beginning to think he'd be better off keeping his ignorance.

* * *

Back at the gate three and a half hours later, Lorne took a few moments to consider the next steps. He had no idea how he was going to approach this but one thing he did know was that he couldn't step back through the gate covered in his own dried blood. Setting down his pack carefully, he rummaged around the ZPM's until his fingers brushed the spare t-shirt he always carried. Pulling it clear he stood, ripping his vest off, followed quickly by his jacket. There was nothing he could do about his pants – thankfully the dark colour hid some of the impact of how much blood he'd lost. Impervious to the rest of his team he drew off the ruined t-shirt and replaced it with the clean one. The vest was wearable but the rest of his stuff was beyond repair. Rolling them up in a tight bundle he re-stowed them in his pack before straightening again.

"Dial the gate," he ordered Reed.

"Yes Sir," Dan shot a worried look towards Nate before stepping forward.

"Do you want to talk about this before we head back," Nate asked Lorne in an undertone.

"No time," Lorne shook his head. He let himself look at Nate, saw the concern plain as day, felt the grief and the anger bashing against the barriers he'd raised. "I ..," he couldn't speak so instead he clasped Nate's shoulder and then stepped away, shaking his head.

Once the connection was established Lorne sent through their IDC. "Atlantis base, this is Lorne. We're heading back."

"Understood," Chuck replied briskly.

"You might want to have Doctor McKay meet us at the gate," Lorne added. "Colonel Sheppard and Doctor Weir too."

There was a pause and then John's voice came over the radio. "Everything okay?" he asked casually, sounding more like his normal self than he had when Evan had last spoken to him.

"Yes Sir," Lorne replied. "I wouldn't want to spoil the surprise though – we'll see you in a few minutes Sir."

"Right," Sheppard's tone was puzzled. "Shields are down."

Lorne waved a hand for the others to go first, wanting to be the last to step back onto the city. As soon as he cleared the wormhole, as he'd expected the static tones of the city rose sharply to greet him. Inside his mind Evan felt like he wasn't the same man who'd left the city early that day. Prue's true origins and Morgan's appearance so soon after had damaged him – if the city was capable of picking up a vibe from him Lorne was pretty sure the ones he was sending off right then would be a black flag. "_Stop_," he commanded the instance the city registered his mood. It was enough – by the time he'd taken a few steps to be at the head of his team he had himself under control again.

"Sir," he greeted Sheppard with his usual reserve.

"Major," John's brow rose as he took in his second's manner and Evan almost winced. Okay, so maybe that facade needed a little work.

"Enough with the greetings," McKay pushed forward impatiently. "This better be good Lorne. I left a critical experiment running in the lab to come down here for your 'surprise', although I hardly think my definition of surprise will be as easy to match as yours apparently is."

"Here," Lorne handed McKay his pack. "I think this will qualify, even by your standards."

"Major," Doctor Weir finished her descent of the main stairs, her expression quizzical.

"Ah," Lorne began.

"You found them," for once Rodney McKay was incapable of running his mouth off at double the speed of everyone else. In fact, he looked as close to speechless as anyone in the room had ever seen him.

"We did," Lorne agreed. "Ma'am," he turned to Elizabeth. "Perhaps we should ...," he gestured up the stairs.

"Yes, let's debrief in the conference room," Weir agreed.

Sheppard and McKay were joined by Teyla and Ronon, the four following Doctor Weir, Evan's team and Prue. Once everyone was seated, Lorne looked around the table, still not sure where to begin. Lucky for him Rodney quickly found his voice.

"They were there the whole time?" Rodney queried. "Not activated I presume otherwise we'd have detected them on at least one of the missions to that planet. No one is incompetent enough to miss three ZPMs more than once."

"Three ZPM's," Elizabeth exclaimed, her eyes alight with excitement at the news.

"Yes Ma'am," Lorne agreed. "We found them in a chamber a level down from the underground ruins."

"You just stumbled across them?" Sheppard queried, watching Lorne interestedly. "You seem to be more than a little lucky like that Major."

"We didn't stumble over them," Evan took a deep breath and then just blurted it out. "It was more like we fell on top of them Sir – well, I did anyway."

"You fell on top of them?" John frowned. "Maybe you should start at the beginning Lorne."

"Sure, okay," Lorne kept his eyes away from his team mates as he succinctly explained. "Since the underground ruins was around were Reed and I first picked up that energy reading we decided to start searching there Sir," he said. "We didn't find anything initially but it makes sense there'd be an alternative entrance or exit."

"There usually is," Sheppard agreed with a faint smirk.

"Yes Sir," Lorne agreed. "Doctor Darnell translated some text on the floor that suggested we'd find that exit with a mirror, if we could get some natural sunlight into the room to shine on it, so I sent Coughlin and Reed back up to the surface to dig for a window. Pretty much as soon as the light struck the mirror the floor was falling away. Doctor Darnell had just enough time to get clear but I ah ...," he stopped, looking at Prue for the first time since Morgan had disappeared.

"Major Lorne fell through the floor," Prue took up the story, her voice low and hoarse. "By the time I got back to the opening he was unresponsive. I took the ladder we'd used to descend into the chamber and used it to get to the Major. It was ...," she looked at Evan quickly before meeting Elizabeth's eyes. "He was badly injured ... unconscious. I ... there was little I could do."

"Hang on," Rodney held up a hand in protest. "If Lorne was that badly injured, how is it he's sitting here now, clearly unaffected?"

Prue exchanged a tortured glance with Evan, swallowing hard, her eyes brimming with unshed tears.

"She called in one of her ascended friends to heal me," Lorne said bluntly. He was still looking at Prue so he saw her flinch, her face pale. He felt guilty for that for a moment but reminded himself that she'd brought it on herself by lying to him for so long.

"_What_?" Sheppard blinked, looking at Lorne like he thought his 2IC had suddenly gone crazy.

"I know how it sounds Sir," Lorne admitted, "but I wouldn't be sitting here now if it wasn't true. Admittedly I was pretty out of it for a while there but I saw and heard enough to understand what happened."

"Perhaps Doctor Darnell should tell us in her own words what happened next," Elizabeth suggested. "Doctor?"

"I didn't intentionally call in anyone," Prue didn't look at any of them as she spoke, her eyes locked on the hands she had clenched on the table top. "I was desperate to help Evan and ... she'd been watching over him, you see, because I asked her to."

"Who?" Elizabeth asked gently.

"Fidesia," Prue replied. "Fee. We were friends so long ago, on Occulus, before ...," she stopped abruptly.

"Before the Wraith came," Lorne finished.

"Yes," Prue looked up at him and then away again. Tracing a finger over the table she smiled sadly. "Fee and I were the last to leave ... we broke the hold the Wraith had on the gate and sent all the people we could through to safety. I guess we cut it too close ... we would have been dead ... we _did_ die but somehow we were able to ascend, both of us. We became a part of that existence willingly – there was nothing for us here anymore."

"How was it you went from that to being here on Atlantis?" Elizabeth asked, everyone keeping silent, fascinated by the story.

Evan wouldn't admit it but knowing some of what Prue had gone through was raising his sympathy. "_Not Prue_," he thought starkly. "_Devia. She was never yours!_"

"This is where it gets really interesting," Lorne broke in. "After Doctor Darnell's friend healed me we found the ZPM's – they were right there, in the chamber I fell into."

"But they weren't activated, right?" Rodney queried.

"No," Lorne agreed. "Why? You think that means something?"

"Not really," Rodney admitted. "I was just wondering how you and Airman Reed ever detected them in the first place."

"That's a good question," Sheppard agreed.

"Fidesia turned them on," Prue looked only at Evan as she continued. "She was watching over me too – she would have known that you'd be able to pin point where Kara and I were if she could draw you in the right direction. As soon as you found me I imagine she switched the ZPM's off again."

"Knowing that I'd remember those energy readings as soon as you translated that statement off the columns," Evan finished with uncharacteristic cynicism.

"If that's what you want to believe," Prue looked away, shifting in her seat as though she were uncomfortable in the space.

"And then?" Elizabeth drew them back on track with telling their story.

"We had another visit and this one was definitely an ascended Ancient," Evan revealed. "I know because I've seen her before, here in the city, except she was posing as the hologram at the time."

"Morgan Le Fey?" Weir asked incredulously.

"That's right Ma'am," Lorne agreed. "This is all going to sound more than a little crazy. According to Morgan a new group of ascended beings is forming right now and if they gain full strength as a unity the others won't be able to stop them from destroying reality itself. We were led to those ZPM's because that room we found down in the south pier tower is actually an alternative shield she believes we can use to contain them."

"An alternative shield?" Rodney zeroed in on the science with immediate interest.

"So Morgan said," Lorne confirmed. "The Ancient's were playing with drawing energy from other planes of existence and created the shield to store it. They never got around to finishing that project because the Wraith became too great a threat and they had to put all their resources into stopping them. I guess they hid the ZPMs on M4R 322 so they could come back to the project later."

"Their loss, our gain," Rodney said almost gleefully. "If this shield can do what Lorne says, it could be just what we need to hold the Wraith off indefinitely – if we can adapt it. If not then we can certainly use three ZPM's to power the cloak – maybe even work out how to both cloak and shield the city at the same time!"

"Go and check out this device," Weir ordered. Rodney shot to his feet, already on the radio requesting Zelenka join him.

"Is that all Major?" Elizabeth asked once Rodney was gone.

"No its not," Prue said before Evan could answer for himself. "What he failed to share is that Morgan and the other ascended ancients believe the only person who can successfully operate the new shield as would be needed is Major Lorne. No one else has the necessary control of the ancient systems. I'm not one hundred percent sure but I think they were the ones who carved the writings on the columns back on P88 013. They serve as a checking mechanism to ensure that events are unravelling as they are intended to do – that nothing has occurred to shift us from the true path. I think they planted the prophesies about Major Lorne amongst the other statements as a means of identifying him based on what they knew he could do. _They_ were the ones who tested him to make sure he could handle what they needed from him."

"Prophesies ?" Sheppard leant forward, shooting his 2IC a narrow eyed glance. "Something else you forgot to mention Major?"

Resisting the urge to point out that Prue should be the one everyone was glaring at accusingly, Lorne took a moment to gather his thoughts. "It's all in Doctor Jackson's report Sir," he pointed out blandly. "And both you and Doctor Weir were aware that Doctor Darnell had been assisting me in determining whether practice was a factor in using the ATA gene with greater capability. Since I didn't believe something carved thousands of years ago was talking about me I decided that particular fact didn't bear highlighting. If I'd been made aware of _certain_ facts," he shot Prue an angry glare, "the significance of all of this would have warranted a different approach."

"Just how much control do you have Major?" Sheppard asked.

Evan winced, looking around the table and not liking the fact that they were all watching him expectantly. With a sigh he turned back to John. "I always meant to ask you about your own interactions with the city Sir," he admitted. "It just never seemed to be the right time."

"And now it is," Sheppard finished grimly. "You can start by answering my question."

"How much control do I have Sir?" Lorne restated. "Enough to override some of the basic protocols. Enough to only switch things on when _I_ want to."

"Things like the control chair?" Sheppard persisted.

"Ah ... yes Sir," Lorne admitted reluctantly. "I could tell you it was never my intention to mislead anyone but I know that sounds kind of empty in hindsight. When I first came here, having the gene was more an inconvenience that a tactical advantage. It's only been recently that I began to see it differently."

"How anyone interacts with the city has always been private Major," Elizabeth said reassuringly. "And to date no one has been ordered to discuss it. If you'd held back utilising your abilities I would be less inclined to understand your reticence but as far as I'm aware that hasn't been the case. The rest seems to be a natural reluctance on your part to draw attention to yourself."

"Yes ma'am," Lorne said honestly. He might not have been open about how he did things but he'd done them just the same.

"Okay, let's leave that as a separate issue for you and Colonel Sheppard to work out later," Elizabeth decided. "Did Morgan say anything further about this impending threat?"

"Only that the first place they'll head is here," Evan replied. "They know the shield exists and they know there's a chance it could be used against them." He went on to restate everything he could remember Morgan telling him, filling in some of the blanks on the prophesies until everyone knew as much as he did. It wasn't the full story – he had questions he suspected he'd never get an answer to, most of them about Prue and just how much she'd known of the mission the ascended ancients had given her.

"And what was your role in all of this?" Elizabeth questioned Prue.

"Until Ev –," she stopped, corrected herself, "until Major Lorne was injured I believed that the ascended Ancients had chosen me to survive the destruction of Occulus so that I might create the translation program your people would need to defeat a great enemy, greater than the Wraith," Prue explained. "I remembered my life there, my family and friends. I remembered training with the Ancients for many years to perfect my understanding of the language and the skills I would need to create a tool your people still do not have the skill to achieve, all in preparation for my mission. I was aware that they had given me knowledge of your planet sufficient to pass as a native despite my never having been there. I knew they'd ensured that no one would be suspicious of my true origins." She sighed, her expression regretful. "I knew that something was coming ... I knew that Major Lorne's gene was a crucial element in their plans to defeat this enemy. The truth only came back to me when Fidesia answered my plea for help. Only then did I know that most of what I believed was in fact untrue, that I had lied to all of you without intending to, believing my mission to be of greater importance than anything else. I am very sorry for my deceptions Doctor Weir. I don't know what the Ancients' intend for me now that the full truth is out, and request that you allow me to remain in the city until the threat has passed. You will still need the program I created to get the shield working – I can help you with that."

Elizabeth looked at Colonel Sheppard, the two coming to some kind of unspoken agreement. "Very well Doctor," she conceded. "I can see that you are as much a pawn of these ascended ancients as Major Lorne has been. We would be grateful for whatever expertise you can offer should this threat turn out to be real."

"Thank you," Prue said simply.

"Colonel, let's be on the lookout for any threats to the city, from any quarters," Elizabeth told John. "Major, Doctor," she added to Prue and Evan, "assist Doctor McKay to get that shield up and running when he's ready. Dismissed," she concluded, standing and leaving the room, Teyla following close behind.

Lorne got up quickly, intent on escaping somewhere to think, somewhere away from public scrutiny.

"Lorne," John's tone was an order to stop and Evan had no choice but to obey. Sheppard looked at Ronon, nodding towards Prue, another unspoken order all too clear. Now they knew that Prue had direct links to the ascended ancients they couldn't let her roam around the city by herself. Prue smiled sadly, accepting the change in her status without comment as she quickly left the room.

"You okay?" Sheppard asked as soon as they were alone.

"The woman I was planning to spend my future with turns out to be a figment of my imagination and I'm still slotted to be some kind of miraculous saviour for the ancients, so no, I'd have to say I'm not okay Sir!" Lorne blurted out tersely. He regretted the outburst almost immediately, rubbing a hand over his face tiredly. "Sorry Sir," he said weakly. "It's been a ah ... a tough day."

"It sounds like you have every right to be angry Evan," John replied. "Prue lied to you, even if she didn't really know how much at the time. I'd want to punish her for that if I were in your shoes."

"That's another thing," Lorne laughed harshly. "Her name isn't even Prue. It's Devia. Turns out I really didn't know her at all."

"You know what I don't get?" John asked conversationally.

"What's that Sir?" Lorne asked when Sheppard didn't offer anything else.

"If Prue thought she'd been given a mission by the Ancients, why did she get involved with you?" John asked.

"So they could make sure I did what they wanted," Evan retorted.

"Really?" John asked disbelievingly. "Because it seems more like she was helping you personally more than she was helping the ancients. Maybe you should think about that."

"Maybe," Lorne dismissed quickly. He didn't want to think about Prue's motives for getting so close to him – she hadn't needed to, not to fulfil her goals, and it bothered him assigning other reasons to her actions. It didn't matter anyway. Once they'd either ruled out a threat or dealt with it Prue wouldn't be staying. She'd be going back to what she'd been before coming to Atlantis. "I'm sorry I wasn't more open about my use of the gene Sir," he said again, changing the subject.

"Elizabeth's right," John dismissed with a shake of his head. "We're all private about how we actually use the gene – I'm guessing no one ever talked to you about it once you found out you had it. And I can hardly reprimand you for something I'm equally as guilty of."

"I know it's not the time Sir," Lorne began, "but once this is over I'd really appreciate the opportunity to talk to you about it."

"And I want to hear more about how you stop things from just switching on," John replied. "You have no idea how much flack I get from Rodney because of the way things just light up when I get near them."

"I'd be happy to help if I can Sir," Evan agreed, relieved to realise that his reticence hadn't damaged the friendship he'd been building with his CO.

"For now you better get yourself down to help McKay," John ordered. "And Major," he added when Lorne moved off to do just that

"Sir?" Lorne queried.

"Don't be too hard on yourself," Sheppard said simply. "Prue's true origins were a surprise to _all_ of us."

"Yes Sir, Thank you Sir," Evan replied.


	39. Approaching home

**Chapter 39: Approaching home**

"Where do you think you're going lad?"

Lorne stopped, turning back to face Doctor Beckett. "To help Doctor McKay," he said simply.

"Not until I've examined you, you aren't," Carson corrected sternly. "By all accounts you almost died Major. I don't care how fine you feel now – we need to make sure there isn't any lingering damage on the inside."

Evan sighed and then nodded. "Sure, right, of course," he agreed, falling into step beside the base CMO.

"Rodney had one of his staff drop off your uniform to the infirmary lad," the Doctor revealed. "He was ... concerned and for Rodney that's saying something."

"Oh," Lorne grimaced. He'd forgotten about the rolled up jacket he'd left in the pack he'd given the scientist.

"What happened?" Carson asked gently, guiding Evan up onto one of the scanners and setting the machine going.

"I fell," Lorne said bluntly as the blue beam passed over him. "Felt like I broke every bone in my body Doc. I was pretty much out of it until Prue's ...," he stopped, took a deep breath, and continued, "until one of the ascended appeared. She healed me."

"I think you've glossed over the details there Major," Carson admonished. "From the state of what you were wearing your body suffered extreme trauma. I don't think the healing process necessarily negates all of that." He hesitated for a moment and then spoke. "Tell me about the healing lad."

"Ah ...," Evan shrugged, getting up and following Carson to one of the examination beds. "Not much to tell Doc," he said as he said down. "It hurt like a son of a bitch – worst than my injuries. Felt like it took a while too, how long I can't really say for sure."

"And Prue?" Carson asked quietly. "It must have been very distressing for her to see you like that."

"I don't want to talk about that," Lorne dismissed tersely.

"Don't be too hard on her lad," Carson advised. "From what I've seen and heard, ascended beings don't look kindly on anyone who oversteps their boundaries. Prue risked a harsh punishment to save your life."

"I know," Evan pressed his hands to his eyes, wanting to block out more than just Beckett's understanding and sympathy. "And I'll thank her for that – when I can look at her and see more than just the woman who's been lying to me since the day we met."

"I'm sorry for what you're going through lad," Carson squeezed Evan's shoulder bracingly and then stepped back. "Well, from what I can tell you're as good as new. I'd still recommend you take it easy for a couple of days – and come and see me if anything seems off, and I mean _anything_," he instructed firmly.

"No problems Doc," Lorne agreed, hopping down from the bed. "Thanks."

"You're welcome Major," Caron replied.

Once outside the infirmary Evan stopped, resting his back against the wall. He'd been so consumed with keeping control of his own emotions that he'd failed to see the wider impact. Everyone knew that he and Prue were together ... and _everyone _would know that she'd misled him. Carson's reaction was probably the first of many expressions of concern he was likely to get. If he could he'd order everyone to keep their opinions to themselves, and not because he wasn't grateful for the concern. He just wasn't sure he could take the pity and keep it all in the box ... he needed time, but right now that was the one thing he didn't have. With a sigh he pushed away from the wall and continued on towards McKay's lab.

* * *

"About time you got down here," Rodney complained as soon as Lorne strode into the shield room.

"If you wanted me down here earlier you shouldn't have passed my uniform on to Doctor Beckett," Lorne retorted, looking around and feeling relief that Prue wasn't there.

"Oh ... right," Rodney said awkwardly. "Did he grill you?"

"You could say that," Evan replied. Looking at the ZPM interface, still minus its three ZPM's he glanced at Rodney in surprise. "You haven't powered it up yet?"

"Be my guest Major," McKay waved a hand towards the console.

Lorne looked at the scientist suspiciously before turning his attention to the interface. The set up was just like the vision he'd had in the chair ... which implied that as soon as they put the ZPMs in place a barrier would cut them off from being removed.

"We can't power it up yet," he told Rodney. "Not until we're sure this is what we want to use the ZPM's for. Once they're in place we might not be able to get them back."

"See, now _I_ knew that from spending the last couple of hours trawling though the code for the power up module," Rodney grumbled. "There's no way you could tell just from looking at it!"

"I've seen the room before McKay, when it was powered up," Lorne explained, knowing he was letting himself in for a McKay grilling. "That's how I knew it was important when Kennedy's team stumbled across this room."

"You've _seen_ it? How is that even possible?" McKay scoffed. "This room probably hasn't been live since the Wraith started emerging from their bug caves."

"Look, I know this is gonna sound crazy," Lorne began. "Hell, most of the time I'm not sure I didn't just dream the whole thing but ... the city showed me, McKay. It showed me this room, fully operational." And then a thought struck him. "Although ...," he frowned. "Maybe it wasn't the city ... maybe it was the Ascended who gave me that vision – all part of the grand plan to get us to do what they want."

"You do realise you're not making any sense, right?" Rodney said impatiently.

"Huh?" Evan blinked, switching off his thoughts as he focussed back on McKay. "Oh, sorry. Ah ... let's just pretend we understand the how and move on to the what. From what I was shown, with those ZPM's slotted into place some kind of force field is engaged, I assume to protect them from being removed prematurely."

"Because they were experimenting with energy from other planes of existence," Rodney elaborated. "If the connections weren't closed off properly before the device was disengaged the results could have been catastrophic." He turned back to the control panel purposefully. "So, how do we determine what it's capable of if we can't plug it in?"

"More than that, how do we use it to stop these ascended beings from destroying Atlantis?" Lorne added.

"You didn't get any clues when they were showing you this room?" Rodney asked.

"No, although Radek did disconnect the chair while I was still ... _here_," Evan gestured to the room at large.

"So you might have seen more," Rodney concluded thoughtfully. "Maybe we need to get you back in the command chair," he muttered, thinking aloud, "after I finish deconstructing this programming. I need Doctor Darnell and her translation program – some of this is structured in the same way."

"No one's stopping you from requesting assistance from anyone McKay," Lorne said blandly.

"Right," Rodney blinked, suddenly looking awkward. "I guess I should say something supportive right now," his expression made it clear he couldn't think of anything that would qualify.

"Not on my account," Evan retorted dismissively.

"Ah ... okay, um," Rodney looked at Lorne for a moment and then nodded. "Don't go too far Major ... I'll let you know when we need you again."

"Keep me informed McKay," Lorne ordered before quickly striding away. Yeah, he'd been right. If even Rodney McKay felt the need to offer comments about Prue, Evan was in for a painful time.

* * *

Lorne avoided any populated places, including the ones most likely to contain Nate and the rest of his team - he'd have to talk them sooner rather than later but wasn't ready to go down that road just yet. He ended up back at his quarter but he just couldn't settle. He tried the gym and the punching bag but the turmoil of emotion inside was too great to be dampened in the usual manner. All the unanswered questions were driving him crazy – and although he didn't want to see Prue right then, he had to because surely if he knew the answers he'd be able to silence his thoughts.

She wasn't in her quarters so he went to her lab. It was dark and for a moment he thought she wasn't there either until a rustle of something on the floor alerted him to her presence.

"Prue?" he said, trying to keep his tone as emotionless as possible. He didn't want to show her his pain or his anger ... or his grief.

"Evan!" Prue rushed forward, the light from the corridor illuminating her face.

She was pale but for the redness around her eyes. Lorne felt a pang of regret that she'd obviously spent some of the hours since she'd left the conference room crying ... and reminded himself grimly again that she'd brought it on herself.

"Are you ... are you okay?" she asked hesitantly, stopping a few steps in front of him.

"I couldn't sleep," he admitted.

"I'm so sorry Evan," Prue exclaimed, fresh tears rising in her eyes.

"I don't need your apologies Prue," Evan replied grimly. "Or should I be calling you Devia now?"

"No!" Prue protested forcefully. Taking a visibly deep breath she said in a more even tone. "I like Prue."

"I did too," Evan shook his head, "but Prue doesn't really exist, does she?"

"I'm as real as you are," Prue corrected him. "The only difference is in our origins, and how we each came to be here."

"Right, of course," Evan said disbelievingly. "Look, that doesn't matter anyway. I just ... I need to know why Prue."

"Why what?"

"I don't like it, and I sure as hell don't agree with their methods, but I understand why the ascended felt it necessary to manipulate events to get us to the point where we could help them," Evan moved further into the room, being careful to keep his distance as he passed her to stand in front of the window. "They want to survive just as much as anyone." He turned to face her. "And I get why they sent you – to make sure us mere humans learned what we needed to learn to be useful to them. But what I don't understand is why the rest of it Prue. Why us?" he gestured between them, signalling the relationship that had existed.

"Because I'm one of those mere humans too," Prue admitted sadly. "I tried to avoid forming connections here but you made it impossible Evan. You just kept pushing and pushing and I ... I had so much feeling inside – from now and from before. I just couldn't contain it, especially not in the face of your determination."

"So you're saying it's _my_ fault you pretended we could have a future together when you _knew_ that was never going to happen?" Lorne shot back angrily.

"They used me just as much as they're using you," Prue cried, swiping a hand over her face.

Evan tried not to feel anything being witness to her pain but he couldn't because despite everything he did still love her and that wasn't something he could just switch off, no matter how betrayed he felt.

"You're not going to forgive me, are you?" Prue's voice was hoarse with tears.

"I don't know," Evan admitted. Running a hand through his hair, frustrated and confused, he shook his head. "Whether I believe Morgan's story or not, they sent you here for a reason Prue. Surely once that reason no longer exists you'll be going back to what you were before, back to Devia."

"I know you don't believe me but I never lied to you Evan, not about anything that mattered," Prue said softly. "I left things out because I had to. I claimed a background that wasn't mine to claim. But everything else was me."

"I don't know what I believe anymore," Lorne said sadly. "Especially about you Prue ... I'm not sure you're not just a figment of my imagination, something they created because they knew you would get to me."

"_Evan_," Prue cried again, the pain he'd caused with his words visible in the careful way she held herself. "I wish I could show you the truth but ...," she trailed off, tears streaming down her face.

"But you can't," he finished. Watching her cry was hurting him too – the last thing he wanted was to break down in front of her. "I'm sorry Prue – I can't ... I can't do this right now." He had to leave before he lost it ... had to gather himself together and move on to working out how to solve their immediate problems. Ignoring her tears, ignoring the way she called out to him, Lorne turned and strode away.

* * *

Instead of going to his quarters again, Evan climbed the stairs of the central tower until he was as high up as he could get. Then he sat on the cold balcony floor, his back against the wall, the world around him just a background for his thoughts. He couldn't get past how betrayed he felt and it wasn't about Prue not being exactly as she'd set out to make them believe. In a way he understood that too – she'd been given an important mission by the Ancients and did what she'd needed to do to achieve it. In her place he probably would have done the same. No, it was the betrayal of a future he'd genuinely believed they would have that stabbed at him now. That hadn't been part of her mission and, despite her explanation Evan just didn't believe her conscience had been overcome by her feelings for him.

"She was in love with you long before they sent her here," Fidesia shimmered into view on the balcony, blocking his view of the ocean below them.

"And you were her best friend," Evan didn't question how she'd found him or why she was even talking to him.

"Perhaps," Fidesia smiled. "You are as stubborn as Devia always said you were."

"I'm sorry ... Devia?" Lorne frowned, confused.

"She did not tell you?" Fidesia looked surprised.

"Tell me _what_?" Lorne asked, exasperated.

"Perhaps it is better if I show you," Fidesia mused. Reaching down she pulled him to his feet, standing close enough that he could feel some kind of echo of her ascended-ness, the power she had at her disposal. "Watch and listen well Evan Lorne," she commanded, before leaning forward so that her forehead touched his.

Atlantis faded away, replaced by a glowing canvass, blank of any expression of his surroundings.

"Where are we?" he queried.

"Inside Devia's thoughts," Fidesia revealed.

And then he could hear them, in Prue's voice as plainly as if she'd been standing in front of him speaking only to him.

* * *

_He was fascinating. There was no other word for it. At first Devia had followed Morgan to Atlantis because she was curious to see the city occupied again, and even more curious to see this human that everyone believed would be their saviour. Once she'd seen Major Evan Lorne, Evan as he'd insisted Morgan call him, Devia returned just to see him again._

_She couldn't say why he so fascinated her ... of course, he __was__ very attractive, with a strong build that suggested he would be both good in a fight and able to provide that feeling of physical protection a woman of her own prior short stature appreciated. But she'd known other men equally as attractive. His blue eyes often flashed with humour as well as a dry wit that bordered on sarcasm ... something she found very appealing. Again, others she'd known had a sense of humour that appealed as much. She'd only had to observe Evan on a few occasions to understand how honest, dependable and honourable he was ... he did the right thing because he believed in it and his judgement seemed never to be flawed. She admired his character as she'd admired others in the past. His mental capacity impressed her too – she could tell he had an affinity for the Ancient systems, that his gene connection to the Asurans was very strong for one so removed from their origins. He had that connection but he didn't rely on it or exploit it, just the opposite. He had a different way of thinking that often saw him suggesting or doing something she wouldn't have predicted as the most obvious solution. More often than not it worked in his favour. That unpredictable way of thinking would come in handy if the others were right and he was the one they intended to place such a heavy burden on._

_Evan had a gentle soul – she saw it in how he'd lose himself in a sunrise, or the view from a balcony, or in hours spent sketching in the book he often carried around with him. It was a conflict of purpose that intrigued her given he was also a soldier. Perhaps it was that and the fact that so many of the qualities she found interesting were centred in this one man that had her returning time and time again just to watch him._

_She watched him find his place in the city. The first time she overstepped her role as simply observer was the first time he left the city and ventured to another world. She'd had to follow him just to see how he would handle himself. When he'd been stunned after too much exposure to the planet's harsh sunlight Devia had sent a cooling breeze before she'd thought about the consequences._

_Expecting the others to punish her for interfering, instead she'd been surprised when they'd offered her a more active role. Watch over Evan Lorne ... from a distance ... and provide whatever support she deemed would keep him on the right track. Minor support only, they'd stressed, just enough to keep him happy and engaged. It was Morgan's job to drop specific hints that would have Evan moving in the direction they needed him to move. And even then they had to be careful not to overstep into the realm of altering the humans' true path because to do so would negate anything they believed Evan could achieve for them._

_She'd agreed and begun one of the most enjoyable and confusing sectors of her time as an ascended being. Back in her new role when Evan left the infirmary after that first off world mission, she'd tweaked the feedback the city gave its creators, feedback she knew Evan also perceived, and eased his headache. More than that she'd conjured flowers from her lost home and left them as a sign of visible comfort and support, relying on their spiritual properties to sooth Evan's troubled heart. When neither action raised protests from her brethren they'd become the basis for how she operated._

_Until she made the biggest mistake of all and fell in love with him._

_It had been so long since she'd been so close to another person, so long since she'd felt such a connection that it took time to realise what she felt. Devia hadn't believed the ascended __could__ feel love like that – they were so used to taking a position of not interfering that the very idea of placing so much value on one individual was ridiculous._

_But she did place value on Evan Lorne ... so much that she was willing to do anything to protect him, even if it meant protecting him from herself and those like her._

_Of course the others knew immediately. They'd known __before__she had and let it happen – because it served their purposes even more than just having her watch over Evan from afar. The new role they'd suggested had both tormented and delighted her ... deciding on the right thing to do alone was beyond her. It was the kind of thing she wished she could talk to Evan himself about – his morale centre and instinctive understanding of what was right, plus his commitment to matching that with action was just what she needed. In the absence of being able to do that Devia talked to the being she had been closest to prior to discovering her feelings for Evan._

* * *

"She came to me," Fidesia told Evan.

The bright blank canvas shifted and Evan saw instead a city to rival Atlantis. Tall towers, white marble, hundreds of stained glass windows that caught the sun and cast multicoloured shadows all around. It was beautiful and the artistic side of Evan longed for a brush and palette to capture it.

"Occulus," Fidesia said sadly, "as it was before the Wraith destroyed it. We were a lone two amongst the ascended, Devia and I, ... there because we sacrificed our lives to keep the Stargate open, saving a large number of our people from the vicious Wraith attack that eventually destroyed our world. Instead of death, we were surprised to be given the chance to ascend. We found it within ourselves to understand our existence, everything that had led us to that point in time, and somehow managed the feat of leaving behind our physical form and continuing on as pure energy.

But we never left our origins behind. Devia and I often recreated Occulus as a place to meet and discuss our place amongst the ascended. Because we weren't from Atlantis, because we were new to the journey of ascencion, letting go of our concern for this galaxy was difficult, particularly in the early years."

"You helped each other adjust?" Evan asked, watching as they seemed to fly through the city until they emerged in what he knew could only be Devia's work space. The equipment looked different but the stacks of books, the scribbles of translations on any available surface and the cluttered but uniquely organised space was just Prue.

Prue stood at the window, Fidesia at her side, only it was a Prue like he'd never seen before. Instead of the tightly pulled back hair and primly neat uniform, her hair was loose and flowing down her back. She wore a white dress that clung to her curves before flaring away to flow about her legs. He'd always thought that Prue was beautiful, but as Devia she took his breath away – because he could see that this was how she was meant to be. Her essence, that bright spark that drove her, was there in Devia where it had been hidden, subdued in Prue. It made him sad all over again to realise that despite his struggles to know her, he'd never even gotten close.

"Listen without judging," Fidesia commanded.

* * *

"_You must tell me what is right," Devia pleaded with Fidesia._

"_You would give up your place amongst us for one human?" Fidesia asked. Before Devia had loved she wouldn't have thought it possible for any of them to hurt, but now she knew her potential decision __would__ hurt her friend._

"_He is not just one human Fee," Devia replied. "Even without my own feelings you know this is true. The council is convinced he is the one we have been waiting for, the one they ignored time itself to guide on his path to this galaxy."_

"_That may be true, but if you make this decision there is no going back," Fidesia sighed. "I do not want to contemplate the rest of eternity without you beside me."_

"_We have discovered much about ourselves because of this one man," Devia smiled. "For that alone we should thank him."_

"_What exactly do they want you to do?"_

"_He is not listening to Morgan as they would like," Devia laughed. "Evan is stubborn and very sure of his purpose ... hints from a hologram haven't been enough to have him ignoring his duty to explore what a gene as strong as his can do. Morgan's last report was discouraging."_

"_So they think he will listen to you?" Fidesia asked curiously._

"_That isn't what they want from me," Devia let strands of her energy touch her friend, let her feel the conflict __she__ was feeling. "My job will be to bring the humans forward in the knowledge of our ancestors they will need – language mostly – and, through proper research of the Atlantis database, show them that their current utilisation of the gene is surface to what they can do," she explained. "If that isn't sufficient to bring Evan up to speed I'm to contrive situations that will test him. Morgan will continue to act as an advisor to guide him and assist me where necessary."_

"_You can bring yourself to do this, to put this man under pressure when it is for their purposes alone?" Fidesia frowned._

"_It is for all of us Fee," Devia reminded her friend. "We break our own rules even in this small way, but is it wrong to do so when our very existence is threatened? If we fall then all of humanity will fall with us."_

"_I know, but I don't understand how they expect you to achieve what you must achieve."_

"_If I go they will create a human place for me that will be above suspicion – I will have to give up everything I've learned about Evan, everything I feel – because they believe I will not be able to pretend an ignorance and disregard that I do not feel. The irony is that they use my love for Evan to get me to agree to do this."_

"_You won't remember any of it?" Fidesia was horrified. "I know of their callousness and yet I can't believe they would be so cruel as to ask you to give up everything for this man and then take away all knowledge of why!"_

"_But I would be helping him too," Devia pointed out. "At the end of the day isn't that more important than how I feel?"_

"_You do love him," Fidesia said it like she was only just believing it. She smiled. "And so, you do not really need my advice."_

"_No – better me than any other solution they might devise," Devia smiled in return. "I would ask a favour Fee, if I may?"_

"_Of course," Fidesia replied immediately._

"_Would you take my place in watching over Evan, do for him what I would have continued to do but for this chance to do more?" Fidesia knew everything that Devia had done and so knew exactly what she was being asked to do._

"_I will ... until he no longer needs me," Fidesia agreed. "You may be giving up what you feel and what you know of him but I believe that returning you to human form will not make you a different being. Whatever it was that drew you to this man will draw you again ... whatever made you love him will have the same influence on you again. When you are there to support him I will withdraw ... and watch over both of you from a distance."_

"_Thank you," Devia hugged her friend close. "You have been a true companion for years without counting. I will miss you beyond measure."_

"_And I you," Fidesia said simply. They remained close for a time before Fidesia pulled back. "What will you call yourself?"_

"_I had not ... yes, my own name would not be appropriate," Devia realised. "Perhaps they will give me a name as well."_

"_May I suggest something?" Fidesia asked._

"_Of course," Devia smiled. "I would like to take something of our friendship with me when I leave."_

"_Prudence," Fidesia offered._

_Devia laughed. "Wisdom? You think me worthy of such a name?"_

"_Yes," Fidesia said simply. "Even with what you are doing, giving up everything you have become for the good of this man and of all of us, I believe you will still be what you have always been. A wise and generous soul."_

"_Thank you Fee," Devia felt both humbled and saddened. "I will wear the name in honour of you and of our people. It will comfort me greatly to know you watch over us."_

_The friends embraced again before Devia felt the call of the council. It was time to become someone who would remember nothing of what was most important._

* * *

Evan could hardly believe what he'd witnessed – what he'd heard and what he'd felt of Devia's emotions. It had all been Prue – the flowers and the feeling that he wasn't alone just when he needed it the most. Even that last time when Prue had already been in the city, indirectly she'd still been behind it. "She shouldn't have given up so much for me," he said blankly.

"At first I believed as you do," Fidesia replied. "But in watching over you both I was reminded of why it is we struggle to survive and do our best for those around us. Without love there are no reasons ... something as ascended beings we have forgotten. We are together but at the same time we are as removed from emotion as it is possible to be. Perhaps it is for this that we have need of one such as you Evan Lorne."

"I ah ... I don't know what to say," Evan admitted weakly, his thoughts still back on the Occulus she'd shown him, on Devia. Could he believe that she hadn't changed as much as the surface would suggest when she'd become Prudence Darnell?

"I showed you this because your task is still in front of you, and you will need each other to see it through," Fidesia explained. "They come ...," she pointed out towards the horizon.

Lorne moved to the railing, looking out over the ocean. There, where the sun was rising. A darkness, somehow blacker than night itself.

"Lorne to the control room," he radioed grimly, turning away from the ocean.

"Sheppard here," John answered.

"I'm at the top of the Central tower Sir," Lorne reported. "There's something out on the horizon you need to see."

"We have it on sensors Major," the Colonel replied, which explained why he'd been in the control room so early.

"I'm on my way Sir," Lorne declared. Turning back to where Fidesia stood, he wasn't surprised to find her gone.


	40. Prophecies from home

**Authors Note:**

By chance it seems I post the turning point chapters on Mondays ... since there are only two or three more chapters to go, this will be the last 'cliff-hanger' Monday. Hard to believe really ... With Christmas approaching and being super busy trying to finish this story as well as write and post two Christmas stories I'm holding off on review replies for the time being. So please accept my sincere thanks to everyone who reviewed the last chapter - you all know how much I appreciate your comments and your interest and how I look forward to your reactions. Hope you enjoy this chapter ... but first, a reminder of the quote I used at the beginning of the story.

* * *

_Forlorn hope ... i__n military affairs this refers to a detachment of men appointed to lead in an assault, to storm a counterscarp, enter a breach, or perform other service attended with uncommon peril._

**

* * *

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**Chapter 40: Prophecies from home**

"Can we tell what it is?" Lorne asked, standing behind Rodney McKay as he tapped away at the keyboard. He'd almost run from the top of the tower to get to the control room, everything inside telling him they were at a crucial turning point.

"I'll have a better idea as it gets closer," Rodney replied. Glancing up he looked at Colonel Sheppard. "One thing I can confirm is that on its current heading it will pass directly over the city."

"And there's nothing to say that it isn't just a harmless cloud," Sheppard pointed out.

"Not so far," Rodney agreed. "And once we commit the ZPMs to the other shield we can't get them back. I for one can think of plenty of things I'd rather do with them than follow the instructions of a hologram turned Ancient, no offence Lorne."

"None taken," Evan returned. "Do we have any way of finding out if this cloud thing is a threat?" he asked. "Like a UAV?"

"That's a great idea Major, except for the part where we'd actually need a UAV," Rodney retorted sarcastically.

"What about a drone?" Lorne exchanged a glance with John, the two of them one of only a handful of humans who'd actually used drones in any real sense.

Sheppard considered the idea and then nodded. "It could work Rodney," he told his team mate. "Drones aren't like missiles – you retain control until they hit their target. If we can send one in without detonating it, can you rig it to collect information from inside that cloud?"

"Maybe, yes ... yes I can," Rodney jumped up. "I'll need ten minutes or so – at the rate that cloud's approaching it doesn't leave us much time to make a decision."

"Get on it," Sheppard ordered. "Let us know when you're ready. Lorne will be waiting down in the control chair."

"Me Sir?" Evan frowned as McKay hurried off. "You've had more experience in the chair than I have."

"Maybe, but I'm pretty sure I don't have your level of control," John replied. "If I sit down in it, it lights up like a Christmas Tree, whether I want it to or not. We'll only get one shot at this so we need to make it count."

"You're putting a lot of trust on skills you've never even observed," Evan pointed out.

"No, I'm putting my trust in you Evan," John said determinedly. "And since it's not in your nature to let anyone down I think that trust is well placed."

"Ah ... I'm not sure if I should thank you for that Sir," Lorne admitted ruefully. He knew the Colonel - stepping aside to let someone else take the hot seat went against John's nature. That he was doing it now really brought home just how serious Sheppard was taking not only the imminent threat but the explanation from Prue and Morgan that accompanied it.

"It'll be fine Major. You better head down to the chair now – knowing Rodney he'll be ready with that drone before you get there," Sheppard motioned for Lorne to get moving. "I'll send Zelenka down to meet you but we'll be monitoring you from the control room too."

"Yes Sir," Lorne acknowledged before striding quickly out the door. He broke into a jog once out in the corridor, finding the transporter that would take him closest to his destination and then running down stairs and through hallways until he hit the chair room.

"Lorne to Control," he said, sitting in the chair but not activating it. "I'm ready down here."

"Did you take the scenic route Major?" Rodney's sarcastic voice came through loud and clear.

"Not exactly," Evan returned. "Is the drone ready?"

"And waiting," McKay sounded smug now. "If you can get it inside that cloud without setting it off it'll give us everything we need."

"Major," Radek hurried through the door, pushing his glasses up his nose as he squinted at Evan.

"Just in time Doc," Lorne replied. "Okay, let's get started." He settled back in the chair, reclining as he activated it. "Firing drone," he murmured, accessing drone control and launching the single drone. He stayed with it mentally as he sent it out from the city and towards the horizon.

As he had when he'd launched drones from the Orion, Lorne retained awareness of his physical self but also saw what the drone was seeing. The ocean, still and calm beneath it; the sun now clear of the horizon and making its slow ascent up into the sky. And the black swirling cloud that looked less and less like a weather phenomenon and more like something truly evil the closer the drone got.

Lorne was with the drone as it punched through the outer edge of the cloud and into the heart of it. He was still connected when abruptly every pulse of ancient energy was drained from the drone in the blink of an eye. The drone dropped uselessly into the ocean but it didn't stop there. Evan felt the same forces at work trying to move through him and get to the city itself. The cloud wanted what Atlantis was – its power and whatever it was that made it uniquely ancient, that sent it's feedback to people like Lorne.

He was peripherally aware of the radio chatter – McKay protesting that he hadn't had enough time to get a full set of readings, Sheppard calling for Lorne to give them a report from his perspective, his tone getting more urgent and worried when Lorne didn't reply. And in the room, Radek's nervous pacing as he muttered to himself in Czech.

That was all in the background though – most of his attention was on shutting down his connection to the city, shutting out the entities driving that cloud towards Atlantis. It wasn't the same as when he'd been tested back on P88-013 but there were similarities, enough that he could quickly put up a barrier between his mind and Atlantis. The background static of the city shut off in his head, leaving only what he was now sensing from that cloud.

"_You cannot stop us. We will grow in strength as others join us. Wrongs will be righted, injustices dealt with swiftly. No more will we sit back and watch while those as we used to be suffer and die needlessly. You should not want to stop us._"

"_Watch me_," Lorne thought back determinedly. He couldn't have said how he did it – maybe in the same way he'd defended himself when they'd tried to rewrite his DNA. The core of strength he'd clung to then now enabled him to extend out the mental walls he'd constructed to protect the city, far enough that the entities controlling the cloud of darkness could no longer threaten him, nor attempt to drain the city through him.

With a shudder he returned to himself, sitting up in the chair, his heart pounding.

"Oh, thank God," Radek exclaimed.

"Major Lorne, please respond," Sheppard demanded over comms.

"Sorry Sir," Evan replied. "I ah ... I'm not sure exactly what happened there. Did McKay get enough data before the drone lost power?"

"Enough to know that we are so screwed," Rodney said sickly. "If that cloud gets within metres of the city it will suck the life out of every system, leaving behind nothing for us to salvage once it's gone."

"So it really can destroy Atlantis?" Lorne concluded.

"The city will still be standing but it'll be as good as dead, along with every living thing inside it, and no one will be able to restart the systems, _ever_," Rodney revealed starkly.

"Okay, so ... not harmless then," Evan muttered, exchanging a worried glance with Zelenka.

"No," Sheppard agreed. "We're going to have to take what Morgan told you on faith Major. We need that shield."

"Then I recommend we evacuate the city of all non essential personnel immediately Sir," Lorne advised.

"Concentrate on saving the city Major," John said. "I'll take care of the rest."

"Yes Sir. I'll meet McKay in the shield room," Lorne conceded grimly.

"And make it snappy," Rodney's impatience translated too easily through the radio. "We haven't got a lot of time to make this work."

"Already on my way," Lorne replied.

* * *

"Three ZedPM's," McKay was almost whimpering as he and Lorne prepared to insert the power cells into their slots. They'd decided that Rodney would stay back, monitoring the device from the console a few paces away from the wall. Evan would take each ZPM and slot it into position in turn. He wasn't really that worried, but part of him did wonder how long after the last ZPM he'd have before the barrier was raised ... because he'd have to put most of his arms inside the cavity to put the ZPM's where they needed to be. "_Don't borrow trouble_," he thought.

"Do you have any idea what we could do in the city with these?" Rodney complained. "We could re-sink the city, or better still, take it into orbit."

"Would that stop this thing from being a threat?" Lorne asked.

"Ah - probably not," Rodney admitted, "not in the time we have left anyway."

"Then why would we want to do either of those McKay?" Evan queried, amused. Only Rodney would be more concerned about such things when they had danger looming on the horizon.

"I don't know but it would be nice to have the option in the future!" Rodney exclaimed. With a sigh he straightened, fingers posed over the console. "You might as well get this over with," he said reluctantly.

"Don't worry McKay – surely these aren't the only ZPM's left in the galaxy," Evan replied, picking up the first one. He took a moment to steady himself and then quickly and competently inserted it into position. With a faint whoosh and click it slid into place. "One down," Lorne murmured, reaching for the second ZPM. Following the same process they were quickly down to one left.

"Any idea what's going to happen once this one is in position?" Lorne asked Rodney, the last ZPM in his hands.

"Ah, no, not really. You?" Rodney replied.

"No," Lorne returned. "I guess there's only one way to find out," he murmured. Raising the ZPM, he leaned back inside the wall cavity, carefully putting the power cell into the last remaining hole.

"_Wait!_" Prue's urgent voice stopped his hands just before he could push the ZPM downwards. Rearing up at the interruption Lorne forgot where he was, banging his head against the top of the cavity.

"What?" he demanded, straightening with a hand to the back of his head. That had hurt but he wouldn't look to Prue for sympathy – not any more.

"You can't do that, not yet," Prue insisted. She looked determined to confront him and the atmosphere between them was quickly uncomfortable.

"Okay, why not?" Lorne struggled to keep his tone calm. He hadn't kidded himself into thinking he was handling his emotions over what had happened with Prue but he _did _think he had his mental walls up sufficiently - seeing her suddenly there in front of him made a mockery of that. It hurt to still feel a surge of attraction ... love ... for her. That and the anger and grief was a powerful mix he struggled for a moment to get control of. "You are aware that we don't have a lot of time here, right?"

"Yes, but if you put that ZPM into the device before you have the control crystal in place even you won't be able to do anything with it," Prue warned.

"Control crystal?" Rodney latched on to that immediately. "What control crystal?"

"I don't know exactly," Prue admitted. "I just know it's crucial."

"You're sure?" Lorne let himself look at Prue fully, eyes tracking over the familiar features. She wasn't what he'd believed but still he trusted himself to know what drove her, and right now that was certainty.

"Yes," Prue said simply. Walking towards him she stopped, drawing his attention to the floor where he stood. "See here ... this writing. I know it's worn and its taken me hours with the translation program to make sense of it. It talks about the sphere of control. Does that mean anything?"

"I looked the power interface over in minute detail," Rodney protested. "There weren't any empty slots Doctor."

"The translation is correct Doctor McKay," Prue insisted patiently. "You believe me, right?" she looked at Evan hopefully.

Nodding, Lorne looked at the device thoughtfully, broadening his focus to include the wall and the floor. Squatting, he ran his fingers over the Ancient words, stopping when he detected a faint indentation. Rubbing the tip of his finger over the spot experimentally he checked the result, noting the dirt that now covered his skin. And then it came to him in a rush. Jumping up he ran for the door. "Don't go anywhere, I'll be right back," he called over his shoulder.

Evan ran down the corridor to the transporter, getting out as close to his quarters as he could. Jogging down the hall he swiped his hand over the door control, rushing through the entrance as soon as he could. Inside he glanced around for a moment and then moved over to the shelf over his desk.

There it was ... the small blue marble like stone he'd found with Prue's flowers. Picking it up he raised it towards the window, prisms of light sparking out and dazzling his eyes. "The sphere of control," he murmured, hoping to hell that he was right.

"Sheppard to Lorne, what's your status?" John queried over the radio.

"We've stumbled across a minor problem Sir," Lorne reported. "The device requires a control stone."

"And do we have such a stone Major?" Sheppard returned.

"Ah ... I hope so Sir," Lorne replied. "I'll radio when we're ready to activate the shield."

"Zelenka says we've only got a few minutes Lorne – fifteen at the most," John advised.

"Understood," Evan acknowledged, quickly closing off the channel. Pocketing the marble he delayed only to grab his pocket knife before he turned and ran back the way he'd come, moving fast enough that he was slightly out of breath by the time he got back to the shield room.

"Ah, here he is, Major Mysterious!" Rodney said irritably.

"Sorry," Lorne moved quickly to the floor in front of the ZPMs, dropping to one knee. Pulling out his knife he used the screwdriver extension and began gorging the dirt from what he hoped was an intended hole in the floor.

"What in God's name are you doing?" Rodney complained, his face a mask of impatience.

"Solving our problem," Lorne shot back. "Now be quiet McKay or so help me I'll send you out of here and man that console and the ZPMs myself. And don't think I can't do both!" His eyes met Prue's for a minute, noting the amused smile on her face, surprised that he wanted to smile back.

Turning his attention back to the task at hand he refused to let himself get distracted. It took some time because he had to remove the dirt carefully so that it didn't lodge at the bottom, but eventually he'd punched through and discovered that the hole was a lot deeper than he'd expected.

"Right ... well I guess this is another one of those 'if we don't try it we won't know' moments," Evan said as he removed the marble from his pocket and held it up for the others to see.

"Where'd you get that?" Rodney demanded.

"Ah ... my guardian angel," Evan didn't look at Prue as he uttered those words. After what Fidesia had shown him he knew that's what Devia had been, in the beginning _and_ when she'd given him flowers and a pretty blue stone. He wondered if she'd known what it was for at the time ... if this was just another step he was following along a path that had been inevitable since he'd first set foot on P88-013.

"Thank you," Prue whispered. Lorne couldn't help but glance back at her – when he saw her expression he knew she had no recollection of giving him the stone. Another manipulation he could lay at the Ascended's door.

"Okay," Lorne took a moment to prepare himself and then calmly dropped the marble into the hole. It fit perfectly. When it hit the bottom a twang of feedback sounded through Evan's mind, sending a tingling through his whole body.

"Did it work?" Rodney demanded. "Because I'm not picking up anything here."

"Yeah, it worked all right," Lorne said distractedly, slowly getting to his feet. He felt strange – disconnected from himself at the same time that he felt more connected to Atlantis. She was whispering to him ... urging him to take over.

"Evan?" Prue risked putting a hand on his arm, her concern palpable.

"I'm okay," he put a hand over hers reassuringly and then stepped away, moving back to the ZPMs. "Lorne to Sheppard. Be advised we are activating the shield." With resolve he pushed the last ZPM into place with click.

"That cloud is almost on us Lorne," Sheppard said urgently.

"I'm on it Sir," Lorne stepped back a second before the barrier rose, protecting the ZPMs from premature removal.

"The system is on line," Rodney reported. His fingers flew over the console as he attempted to activate the shield. "It's not working ... why isn't it working?"

"Move over McKay," Lorne gestured for the scientist to step back, placing his own hands on the console. He didn't bother trying to run commands the way Rodney had – he just tapped into the system mentally. "_Shield_," he commanded firmly.

A wave of power shot from the ZPMs, hitting the barrier and bouncing back. Inside Lorne's head the noise was almost overwhelming – the power he was picking up much stronger than anything he'd experienced before. Bracing himself he kept control of the shield, pushing it out until it covered the city, and not a moment too soon.

The black cloud struck the shield, the clash a thunderous sound everyone could hear. The result was like the drone all over again – Evan could feel the way the ascended beings were absorbing the power from the ZPM's.

"Ah ... we've got a problem here," Rodney reported. "McKay to Sheppard – are you registering this?"

"We've got quite a light show going on up here Rodney," John replied. "Should we be concerned that cloud is thinning to cover the entire shield?"

"Probably, but I think our more pressing concern is the rate at which power is being drained from the ZPMs," Rodney returned. "On current estimates they'll be fully depleted within the next ten to fifteen minutes."

"How is that possible McKay? They were all fully charged!" Sheppard protested.

"Hey, don't shoot the messenger!" Rodney retorted.

"How's Lorne doing?" John asked in a more reasonable tone.

"He looks like he's about to collapse," Rodney said bluntly.

"I heard that!" Lorne glared at McKay. Although, truth be known he was feeling ... weak, like the Ascended inside the cloud where draining his energy along with the ZPM's.

"Can you do this Major?" Sheppard asked quietly, both men well aware of what John was asking him to do - what Evan was risking. "We still have time to evacuate the remaining personnel."

"And abandon the city? Let them win?" Lorne demanded. "I don't think so Sir. Besides, we have no idea what the consequences would be – for Pegasus, for back home." But there was no doubt that he was struggling. Sweat beaded his face with the effort of keeping the shield fully over the city with no vulnerable spots. The feedback he was getting from Atlantis was encouraging but it wasn't helping.

He knew what they were facing. Standing firm was a game he couldn't win. "_Think Evan!_" he admonished himself. It didn't make sense – Morgan has been sure the shield could hold the breakaway Ascended off but clearly that was wrong. Well, not wrong exactly, because they hadn't managed to breach the shield as such. Which meant that ...

"I've got an idea Sir," Lorne said quickly. "I don't have time to explain but – well, it might be best if you evacuate the city anyway Sir, just in case. I'm not exactly sure what will happen if this works."

"I'll send everyone else but I'm not going anywhere," John replied. "And I trust you Evan. Do what you have to do."

"Thank you Sir," Lorne looked at Rodney first, trying to decide how best to get the other man to leave the room. "If Colonel Sheppard is going to be in the control room alone, don't you think you should go up there, make sure he doesn't break anything?"

"Ah -," Rodney looked at Evan suspiciously and then grimaced. "As a method for getting me to leave you alone here that pretty much sucked Major but ... since I can't do anything down here, maybe I can find some way to help from up there."

"Thank you Rodney," Evan said sincerely. Rodney nodded, cast Prue a curious glance and then turned and hurried away.

"You need to go too," Evan told Prue determinedly.

"No I don't," Prue shot back, "and I don't see how you can make me – unless you want to risk losing control of the shield," she nodded to where he'd kept physical contact with the console.

"Just once," Lorne growled, glaring at her, "just once it would be nice if you could do what I say!"

"Not today," Prue moved forward, standing next to him. "Do it Evan ... now, before you get too weak."

"Fine," Lorne said tersely. Turning away he closed his eyes, focussing internally. All the hours he'd spent practicing – constructing pictures in his head and imagining the city doing what he wanted, getting to know what each system on Atlantis and on the Orion felt like – were about to pay off. He saw the shield in his mind – light and power cupping the city from above, protecting it. And he felt the darkness pushing inwards, hitting the shield at random points in an effort to break through. With any luck they'd be so focussed on breaching the shield they wouldn't notice his actions until it was too late.

Starting at the edges he stealthily drew the shield downwards, under the water, expanding it while keeping it protectively over the city. Once he judged it large enough to do what he needed he paused. It was going to require speed and force ... and probably most of what he had left in reserve – and it still wouldn't be over. "_No time like the present_," he thought grimly.

With one burst of thought he flipped the shield, turned what was concave into something convex, taking advantage of the device being more than just a standard shield, capable of projecting outwards from as much as it was around an object. The edges he'd grown slammed into place to join above the dark cloud until he had the shield entirely around the entities. And then he shrank the sphere until it clasped the cloud tightly.

Staggering, his heart pounding, Lorne opened his eyes, his gaze locking with Prue's.

"Evan," she moved forward to brace him.

"I'm okay!" he insisted. "Prue ... I need you to leave now, okay? I don't want you to see -."

"See you kill yourself?" Prue cried, tears rising in her eyes. "No Evan. It shouldn't be easy letting someone you ... love ... die." She swallowed hard, tears falling down her cheeks.

"Don't make this harder than it has to be," Evan pleaded. "Please, just go. I can't hold this for much longer."

"Then do what you have to do," Prue said sadly, staying where she was.

Lorne wanted to protest further but he couldn't afford the time. Every moment he was weakening and he knew that if he didn't act now he'd fail. Giving her a tortured look he closed his eyes to her grief, focussing back on the shield and the darkness he had contained inside. He shouldn't be able to do what he was going to do next but he knew instinctively that he could.

Moving position he kept one hand on the console and reached out towards the barrier guarding the ZPM's. When his fingers brushed the surface of that barrier a spark of energy shot up his arm like an electric shock. Groaning at the pain burning through his system, Lorne gathered his mental strength and made a final demand of the city. "_Lower the barrier ... now!_"

The blue curtain of energy dropped abruptly. As he'd hoped, once the protective barrier was gone the true nature of the device came into play. Because it wasn't a shield – it was a means of opening another plane of existence and gathering energy from it. The shield was just the means of containing that energy. Now all he had to do was activate the other components of the device and ...

The result was explosive. Above Atlantis, around the cloud Lorne had contained, the air itself seemed to waver in and out of existence. At the weakest point the shielded Ascended touched directly against that other plane – instantly the ball of energy snapped out of their plane and into that other place, taking the ascended bad guys with it. There was a flash of bright light and then everything was calm, the breach between planes closed.

Inside the shield room, Lorne was still connected through the device. When the shield disappeared the remaining power of the ZPM's shot from the power cells, uncontained with the protective barrier gone.

"_Evan!_" Prue screamed, throwing herself between him and the ZPM's. A bolt of power struck her chest, the force slamming into Evan's chest, hurtling him to the floor.

A different kind of darkness was crashing over Evan now but he still had one thing left to do – he had to shut down the device, before another connection was formed between theirs and another plane of existence – one they no longer had the power to close. "_Off! Shut it down!_" he yelled inside his mind, ignoring the pain and the dread and the fear because he couldn't feel anything – not himself, not Prue, nothing. "_Shut it down now!_"

There was a massive flash of light and a burst of noise like he'd never heard before. When the dust cleared, the room was in silence. All that remained to mark the event were three depleted ZPM's, a blackened console, and the unconscious form of Major Evan Lorne.


	41. Earth

**Chapter 41: Earth**

"Major Lorne," the gentle voice broke through, calling Evan back to himself. "Evan?"

Lorne's eyes snapped open, his senses taking in everything in seconds. The city greeted him with mental static so low in tone it was barely there. The why of that was stark, memory rushing back, the heart monitor beeping rapidly in time with his anxiety. "Prue?"

"I'm sorry Evan," Jennifer said gently.

"You're sorry?" Lorne felt himself trembling as her meaning hit him. "Where is she?" He struggled to sit up, pulling at the leads and tubes connected to him. "I want to see her!"

"Evan," Jennifer put a calming hand on his chest, pushing him back to the bed too easily. "I know this is difficult but there's nothing for you to see. She's gone."

"Gone?" He felt numb ... and so damned tired he just wanted to close his eyes and sleep until this nightmare faded away. "I don't ..., what? Jenn?"

"Oh God," Jennifer sniffed back her tears, clutching his hand. "Rodney said there was an enormous power overload – like lightning. It must have struck Prue head on." She squeezed his hand tightly as she finished it. "When we got there all we found was you, unconscious on the floor."

"_Fidesia_," Lorne clung to hope grimly. "She must have taken Prue away before she -,"

"No," Jennifer interrupted. "There was ... evidence. That much power Evan ... the human body isn't designed to withstand so much heat and ..."

Evan heard what she was unwilling to say. Prue had stepped in front of him and taken his place – suffered _his _fate. She'd been incinerated until she was nothing more than a black scorch mark on the floor. With a low groan he turned his face away, staring bleakly at the wall.

"I know it's probably very little comfort right now but you saved all of us Evan, you and Prue," Jennifer explained gently. "It will take time for you to recover, physically and mentally ... Carson recommended sending you back to Earth and Doctor Weir agreed. They're moving you first thing tomorrow."

"Fine," Lorne muttered. He didn't care where he was ... everything he was and everything he'd lost would follow him.

"I'm sorry Evan," Jennifer said again, laying a comforting hand on his back. "Try to get some rest," she added before leaving him alone.

Evan closed his eyes tiredly, grateful when sleep claimed him.

* * *

Carson came to see him the next morning, examining him with calm efficiency as he gave Lorne a run down on his condition. That's when he found out he'd been unconscious for days, unresponsive but for the high level of brain activity Carson said he'd exhibited. Evan had no recollection of anything – dreams or otherwise – and wondered what he'd been thinking all that time.

"You have second degree burns on your right arm, across your chest and on both hands," Carson began. "Even indirectly your system took a jolt - that and the effort you expended to control that device drained you to the point of extreme exhaustion. It'll take you a while to recover Lad," he admitted openly. "Your treatment will continue at the SGC and you should suffer no lasting effects. Initially I was concerned there might be internal damage, particularly to your heart, but everything appears to be in order. A week or so of complete rest plus the full course of burn treatments and you should be physically fit to return to duty."

"Thanks Doc," Lorne said. He tried to feel grateful that he hadn't been badly injured but the price for his well being was too high. The dark pit of emotion inside him threatened to surge up and swamp his control.

"I'm sorry for your loss lad," Carson said softly. "I know you and Prue had issues -,"

"_Don't_," Lorne pleaded. "Not now Carson, okay." He couldn't handle an expression of sympathy and he sure as hell wasn't ready to hear anyone talking about Prue in past tense.

Carson looked at Evan, compassion shining from his eyes. "Of course Major," he nodded understandingly. "But you should talk to someone about this ... when you're ready."

Evan didn't trust himself to speak without revealing just how close to the edge he was. Instead he nodded his head, holding himself stiffly while Carson continued to watch him, his concern evident.

"You have people waiting to see you lad – your team, Laura, and a few others - if you feel up to it," he offered.

"I don't want to see anyone," Lorne said dismissively. "Tell them whatever you have to Doc. Just keep them away."

"Very well," Carson frowned. "I'll leave you to get some rest then Major. Nurse Hardy will be with you in about an hour to help get you ready to return to Earth."

"Thanks Doc," Lorne turned his attention back to the ceiling, his thoughts circling things he wasn't ready to contemplate. He knew he couldn't avoid everyone, not indefinitely. He just needed to be steadier inside – then he'd be able to handle it.

One person he couldn't avoid was Colonel Sheppard ... it didn't surprise him to see his CO walking through the door a few minutes later.

"I know Carson said you weren't up to seeing anyone but I kind of thought maybe he was being too cautious," John said blandly, not calling Lorne up on the lie. They both knew Evan had told Carson he didn't want to talk to anyone.

"Sir," military protocol and the chain of command were too ingrained for Evan not to respond, even though a part of him wanted to plead with Sheppard to just leave him to his misery.

"Listen, Rodney couldn't confirm what happened to that cloud after you made it disappear, but there weren't any traces that he could pick up," Sheppard offered. "It'd be nice if the Ancients could give us some kind of confirmation that this other group of ascended beings is no longer a threat, but I guess that'd be asking for too much."

"They have what they wanted," Lorne said in a low tone, eyes on where his hands clutched the sheets beside him.

"The threat to the city was real," Sheppard pointed out.

"I'm sure it was, but who's to say them picking us as a target wasn't premeditated? The Ascended manipulated us," Lorne said grimly. "Because they wanted me to operate that device and they wanted Prue to have a reason to sacrifice herself so I'd still be around to switch if off once we were done." He swallowed hard, still unwilling to contemplate the fact that she was gone.

"I'm sorry Evan," John said after the silence stretched between them uncomfortably. "I don't know what I can say that would make this any easier for you."

"Nothing," Lorne ground out. "There's nothing anyone can say." He looked at John, his eyes too blue in the paleness of his face. "I never told her I'd forgiven her," he said hoarsely. "I should have but ...," he looked away, struggling to keep himself from trembling.

"She knew you pretty well," John stood, clasping Lorne's forearm firmly in support. "I don't think anyone on base expected you'd hold a grudge for very long, least of all her."

It was too much – the support and the understanding and the fact that he could see John was personally upset over what had happened to him and to Prue. "Sorry Sir," Evan fell back on bland formality. "I guess I'm weaker than I realised ... I apologise for my outburst."

"_Evan_," Sheppard protested. "It was hardly an outburst and even if it was, under the circumstances no one would blame you."

_He_ blamed himself. He should have made Prue leave before he flipped the shield – then she'd still be alive. "_And you'd be dead_," his rational side piped up. Lorne refused to look at Sheppard, keeping his expression as emotionless as he could, praying that the Colonel would give up on him, at least for the time being.

Sheppard sighed. "Okay, we won't talk about this now," he conceded. "It can wait until they clear you to return to duty. Take some leave Evan – give yourself a chance to recover. And don't even think about putting in a transfer request – we need you here on Atlantis."

"Yes Sir," Lorne acknowledged in a low tone.

"It wasn't your fault," John said in parting, waiting a few moments more before letting Evan get away with his silence.

"_If that's true, why the hell does it feel like it was_," he thought angrily.

* * *

Leaving Atlantis was a relief. To achieve it he had to sit in a wheelchair as Jennifer pushed him from the infirmary to the gate room. And he had to face some of those people he'd refused to talk to.

"Sir," Nate Coughlin stood resolutely between Lorne and his escape, Reed, Cheung and Parish all ranged out behind him.

"Sergeant," Evan replied expressionlessly. He looked at his second, let himself see through the other man's expression what Nate wanted to tell him. That his team cared about Prue and grieved for her too, grieved for what they knew Lorne had lost. That they were glad their CO was alive. Slumping a little, Evan ran a hand through his hair. "It's okay Nate," he said.

"_No,_ it's not!" Nate returned heatedly. "And maybe it won't be for a while, but me and the boys are here if you need us. We'll be here when you get back."

"Thanks," Lorne nodded, glad when Nate stepped back because he was one step closer to being amongst people who didn't know him nearly as well.

"Do what Doctor Lam tells you lad," Carson stepped forward, leaning closer so he could look Evan in the eye. "No pretending this time."

"Right," Evan agreed quickly. "Sure thing Doc."

Colonel Sheppard strode into the mix, waving people aside and giving Lorne some space. "Dial it up Chuck," he ordered, looking up at the control room.

The gate started to spin ... Lorne watched as each chevron quickly locked into place, urging the wormhole to just form already.

"We'll see you in a few weeks Major," Sheppard said firmly.

"Yes Sir," Lorne took over the operation of the wheel chair, pushing himself through the event horizon.

The relief he felt when he emerged on the other side saddened him because he'd never been glad to leave Atlantis before – but he couldn't deny how welcome the silence, inside and out, was. It was late at the SGC and personnel in the Gateroom was minimal – just two armed sentries and one waiting orderly who competently took over the wheelchair.

A few minutes later Evan was settled into a bed in the infirmary and it was all too easy to let the nothingness of sleep take over.

* * *

Thankfully Daniel, along with the rest of SG-1, were off world for a few days at least. With any luck Evan would be on leave before they returned. That sounded bad but the last thing Lorne wanted was to talk about Prue with someone whose own past made him uniquely qualified to understand. Evan didn't want someone telling him it would get easier – he didn't want it easier.

He did what Doctor Lam and her staff told him to do – all with a lack of emotion and very little conversation beyond the barest minimum. He wasn't uncommunicative or discourteous – he just didn't volunteer anything of himself.

"Well Major, I'd say you're ready to be released," Doctor Lam finally told him a week after his arrival. "General Landry tells me you've been granted some personal leave."

"Yes Ma'am," Evan confirmed.

"Unfortunately with the Daedalus on its way back from Atlantis and the Odyssey out on a mission you'll have to make do with travelling the slow way," Caroline told him with a smile.

"I don't mind," Lorne replied.

"Okay, well I'll let you get dressed and then we can sign your release papers and you'll be free to go," Lam hesitated for a moment and then continued. "I hope you're not planning to return to work without having spoken to someone about what you went through Major," she said firmly. "This isn't something you can just brush under the carpet – and I know how hard you've been trying to do just that."

Lorne said nothing, looking down at his bed sheets.

Caroline sighed. "You'll have to pass a medical, including a psych evaluation before I can sign off on returning you to active duty Major. I'm sorry but ...,"

"Its standard procedure," Lorne broke in. "I understand Doctor Lam."

"Okay ... well, let's get you on your way then," Caroline said, pulling the curtain around his bed closed to give him some privacy.

Lorne sat in the bed for a few moments, thinking about nothing in particular. And then he got up and slowly got dressed.

* * *

Deciding where to take his leave had been difficult and for more than a day he'd seriously considered going somewhere no one knew him. But at the end of the day what he really wanted was to get away from himself and there was nowhere he could go to achieve that, so he gave up the idea.

He couldn't call, not while he was on base – didn't want to have to explain anything over the phone. And so he turned up on Elaine's doorstep much as he had months before.

"Evan!" Elaine smiled when she opened the door to see her brother on the other side, but that dropped away as soon as she got a good look at him. "Come in," she said, gently taking his arm and leading him inside.

"I promise I'll tell you what I can before I go," Evan said as soon as they were sitting at her kitchen table. "But can we just talk about nothing important for now?"

"Of course," Elaine put her hand carefully over his, mindful of the bandages he still wore. "Did I mention in my last message what the art teacher we've been taking Jon to said?"

"No, you didn't," Evan raised as much of a smile as he was capable of right then. "Tell me."

* * *

He got tired only a few hours after he'd arrived – before Drew and the boys were back from where they'd gone for the day. Elaine put him in her guest room, tucking him in and smoothing his hair back like he was one of her boys.

"It'll be okay Evan," she said softly.

"No, it won't," he said hoarsely. "It won't." With a sigh he turned over, burying his face in the pillow, tired enough that he fell asleep moments later.

Elaine sat with him, watching over him as best she could, although clearly too late to stop him from hurting. When she heard the sounds of Drew and her sons returning she hurried from the room, carefully closing the door behind her.

"Evan's here," she said as she walked in, gathering Jon and Matty up in a welcome home hug. "Go and play in your room," she told them. "Quietly okay – your Uncle is sleeping."

"Is Uncle Evan okay Mommy?" Jon asked, the idea that his Uncle would go to bed voluntarily so early obviously difficult to understand.

"He's fine honey," Elaine reassured. "We just need to give him a chance to rest okay?"

"Okay," Jon agreed. "Come on Matty," he grabbed his little brother's hand. "Let's go look at some books."

"He's a good boy," Elaine said, watching her boys tiptoeing down the hallway past the guest room.

"Yeah, most of the time," Drew agreed. Drawing his wife into his arms he hugged her tight. "Tell me," he said softly.

"I don't know," Elaine replied. "Something happened – bad enough that he thinks it will never be okay. Oh Drew," she cried abruptly. "He's hurt but it's not just what physical injuries I could see. He looked so sad!"

"All we can do it give him somewhere to rest and recover, someone to talk to when he's ready," Drew said simply.

"I know, I just ... you didn't see him Drew," Elaine sighed. "I've never seen him like that, not even when I followed him to Russia. Not since Dad died."

"You're thinking something happened to his Prue, aren't you?" Drew frowned.

"I hope I'm wrong," Elaine replied, "but yes. I can't think what else would have him looking so broken."

"Damn," Drew muttered.

"Being here will help," Elaine said softly. "He loves the boys ... and they'll smother him with affection like they always do."

"Are you going to call your Mom?"

"If he wants me to," Elaine shook her head, "although if I'm right, that will be why he came here instead of going to her."

"I guess so," Drew pulled her forward again, hugging her close. "We'll handle it, okay," he said, resting his head against hers.

"Mom, can we have a glass of water?" Jon stood in the doorway, watching his parents curiously.

"Of course honey," Elaine gave her husband a quick kiss before pulling away to take care of her children.

* * *

Evan woke abruptly in the middle of the night and for a moment didn't know where he was. Until he rolled and the painful stretching of healing skin on his chest reminded him.

"God," he rolled onto his back, staring up at the ceiling. The house was quiet and it was only necessity that propelled him from the bed and down the hall on silent feet.

Instead of going back to bed he went to the living room, where the open blind would let him see the sun rise. And then he just sat and let himself feel ... he hadn't cried, wasn't sure he had it in him to let his grief out that easily. Wasn't sure he even had the right since he'd refused to be with Prue once her betrayal had been revealed. He couldn't bear to think that in her last day she'd believed he wouldn't forgive her.

The sky lightened by degrees as the sun rose behind houses before it got high enough for the brightness to stab into his eyes.

"Uncle Evan!" Jon's excited voice greeted him, the young boy throwing himself into Evan's arms with no warning.

Evan grabbed him close, holding on tight, not caring that it hurt his injuries. "It's good to see you kiddo," he murmured.

"Mommy said you was tired," Jon reared back, his eyes going wide when he spotted the dark pink of healing skin on his Uncle's face and arms. "Did you get hurted?"

"I did," Evan said simply. "But I'm much better now okay." It was true – something about being with his family helped him to construct a more believable barrier between the Evan from Atlantis and the one his nephews knew.

"We'll look after you too," Jon promised. "You can stay until you is all better."

"I'd like that." Evan smiled, the first genuine smile in two weeks. "Now, what are you doing up so early young man?"

"Daddy said we had to wait until you woked up but I was too excited," Jon admitted, giving Evan a winning smile that declared he didn't think his Uncle would tell on him for something so harmless. "You wasn't in your room."

"Well, I went to bed so early last night that I was all done with sleeping," Evan settled the boy on his lap. "How about you sit and tell me what you've been up to lately?"

"Okay," Jon rested his head on his Uncle's chest and launched into a rambling explanation about things that could only be important to a three and a half year old.

Evan listened, and felt a small measure of peace.

* * *

And so it went for the next few days. Evan stayed in his sister's house, playing with the boys, his outward wounds healing until only the patches of pink skin remained as evidence of what he'd gone through. He didn't feel any calmer though – in fact, finding that emotionless facade was proving more difficult than it had ever been. This was exactly why he'd avoided giving his heart to anyone for so long – because losing someone you loved hurt so much that some days he seriously thought the pain would get the better of him.

The unanswered questions haunted him as much a Prue's fate. How could she have known that she was originally from Occulus but not have realised the significance of its native flower being given to him? And given how much of his own knowledge base they'd used to furnish her with a believable background, how much of Prue was her and how much an echo of having that base? She'd expressed genuine regret over SG-6 and in particular Colonel Barnes – like she really had served at the SGC and gotten to know him. Because _Evan _had served there and worked with Barnes. Was that why he'd been so drawn to her from the beginning, because he'd recognised her somehow?

Was any of it real?

He had doubts about his own actions too, about what he'd believed and the consequences. What had that prophesy from P88-013 said? Only with the ultimate sacrifice will right prevail. Had it been arrogance on his part to believe that because the first part of the prophesy was about him, the entirety must also refer to him too? Because he'd never considered that someone else would be the one to make that sacrifice - if he had would Prue be alive now? If he'd believed in what the prophesy was trying to tell them instead of denying that something carved so long ago could even be about him, would it have changed anything? Had there been another way, a path less desperate than the one he'd put himself on, that could have still resulted in the threat being eliminated?

Was it all his fault because he'd only stepped up at the very end, when his hand had been forced?

The trouble with questions was that instead of answers they just spawned more questions - the not knowing was driving him crazy. That and the pit of grief he couldn't find a way to express made Evan someone even he didn't want to be around ...

* * *

When he woke up abruptly in the middle of the night a few days later – as he had every night since he'd arrived – dreaming that Prue was calling out for him to save her, Evan realised that he had to go back. He wouldn't feel any kind of closure, wouldn't be able to believe she really was gone until he was back on Atlantis. Running the dates in his head he worked out that the Daedalus would be leaving in two days time – he'd have to hurry if he had any hope of being cleared to travel back on her.

Elaine was up before everyone else, finding Evan sitting at the table, his packed bag sitting at his feet.

"You're leaving?" she asked, dismayed.

"Ah – yeah, I have to Sis," Evan admitted. "I know I said I'd tell you what I could – and I will – just not this visit. There are things I need to resolve and I realised this morning that I can't do that here."

"You're sure?" Elaine touched a hand to his, waiting until he met her eyes. "I can see how much you're hurting Evan. If I can see it, others will too."

"I know," Evan sighed, turning his hand over and clasping hers lightly. "But staying here is just running away Lainee – and that's not me either. It's time I started acting like myself again."

"Don't retreat back into that world where you don't even entertain the possibility of love," Elaine pleaded. "I know – I can't imagine what it is you've gone through. I just know it would be wrong to ignore what you gained just because it ended badly."

"There's badly and then there's this," Lorne said harshly, regretting the tone immediately. "I'm not myself," he said again. "And I need to get that back first. Then I'll think about what you said, okay?"

"Okay," Elaine agreed softly.

"Thank you for letting me stay here with no questions asked," Evan said earnestly. "You don't know how much it helped Elaine."

"I feel like we're sending you back the way you came," Elaine admitted. "I wanted to do more."

"It's not that simple, and this was exactly what I needed," Evan countered. "Tell Drew I'll email him soon."

"You're not staying to say goodbye?" Elaine asked, surprised.

"No," Evan shook his head. "I stopped in with Jon and Matty before I came out here – they know I'm leaving but I told them I'd see them as soon as I could manage it."

"Well then," Elaine stood up. "Give me a hug big brother."

Evan stood too, hugging his sister tightly enough that her heart ached for him anew. When he stepped back his eyes were too bright. "Love you," he got out, grabbing up his bag and hurrying from the room. When the front door clicked shut Elaine sank back to her chair, tears brimming because she feared it would be a long time before Evan came back.


	42. Atlantis

**Authors Note:**

Thank you lovely readers for your reviews last chapter - glad you've been enjoying this story. So ... here we are, after over a year of writing this series, at the final chapter! I know, I can't believe it either! I am probably going to add another, epilogue chapter, after Christmas I think, so I'll take the opportunity to wish you a Merry Christmas. Thank you for sticking with this for so long ... hope you enjoy the end. Oh, and language alert - there are a couple of instances of one specific 'naughty' word here. No offence intended.

**Chapter 42: Atlantis**

Back in Colorado Springs Evan quickly initiated all the tests he'd need to pass to get himself on the Daedalus. Time enough on the long trip home to contemplate how he was going to handle himself when they got back to Atlantis.

The medical was easy enough – his burns had all healed and he'd had enough rest not to look like a stiff wind would blow him over. With no other damage he passed with flying colours. Submitting to a psych eval that included having to sit down and talk with the base psychologist about his experiences was beyond difficult. He tried to be honest while at the same time giving the man enough progress that he'd conclude that Evan was strong enough to be allowed back to 'the scene of the crime'.

That turned out to be easy as well – no one expected him to have gotten over his loss and the fact that he was willing to admit to it seemed to be enough. Lorne explained that he needed to return to Atlantis so that he could put the events into perspective and the shrink actually congratulated him on his courage. If he only knew what Lorne was really thinking!

The following day General Landry wished Lorne well before ordering the Daedalus crewman to beam Evan up to the ship.

"Sir," Cadman's voice had him looking around abruptly.

"Lieutenant," Lorne returned formally, not inviting further questioning. Part of him was glad to see Laura but he just didn't have it in him to answer the question he could see she wanted to ask.

"I didn't expect to see you back so soon Sir," Laura fell into step beside him as he headed for his assigned quarters. Technically he was still on leave, and while normally he'd have reported for some kind of duty anyway, this time he intended to stay out of the public eye as much as possible.

"I heal quickly," he dismissed. Arriving at his door, he turned back to Cadman. "I don't mean to be rude Lieutenant but -,"

"But you don't want to socialise right now," Laura finished for him. "I understand Sir. I really just wanted to say it's good to see you up and about."

"Thank you Lieutenant," Lorne inclined his head before opening his door and disappearing inside.

* * *

"You're a hard man to find," Colonel Caldwell's voice drew Lorne's attention away from the view outside the Mess window.

"Sir?" he queried, frowning.

"You haven't been seen around the ship since you beamed up a week ago," Stephen clarified, sitting down opposite Lorne. "Not hiding are we Major?"

"Every chance I get Sir," Evan said honestly.

"Too much sympathy?" Caldwell suggested.

"Pity, sympathy, whatever you want to call it Sir," Lorne agreed. "I don't need people to tell me they're sorry about what happened."

"Then I'll refrain from doing so," the Colonel replied with a faint smile. "You let me know if there's anything I can do for you son," he said, getting up again.

"Approving my return to Atlantis was more than enough Sir," Evan replied, knowing full well that if Caldwell hadn't thought he was ready, no amount of approval from the doctors would have gotten him on board.

"You deserve to face your demons Major," Stephen said simply. "Like I said, if there's anything I can do to ease the way, just say the word."

"I appreciate that Sir," Lorne said, meaning it.

"And don't worry Lorne," Caldwell smiled. "I won't tell anyone you take your meals so late."

"Thank you Sir," Evan watched the Daedalus commander go, bemused. He'd been offered support from a number of quarters but most of it had rankled. After all those days on the Hive ship Lorne appreciated Caldwell's up front, by the book manner – he was genuine and right now that was a quality Evan rated highly.

* * *

After sixteen days in space the Daedalus landed on the dock on Atlantis. Lorne waited until everyone had disembarked before making his own way off the ship and so was surprised when Colonel Sheppard stepped from the shadows to greet him.

"Welcome back Major," John said casually.

"Thank you Sir," Lorne returned. "I'm looking forward to getting back on duty," he added, making his intentions clear.

"Let's hold off until Carson adds his own approval to that," Sheppard countered, making his own intentions equally clear. Evan might have gotten back to the city by bluffing his way through the standard questions, but he wasn't going to be able to fool the people who knew him in the same way.

"Yes Sir," Lorne said reluctantly.

"How was Earth?" Sheppard asked conversationally, the two men making their way down the dock towards the centre of the city.

"It was fine Sir," Lorne replied. "Surprisingly quiet at the SGC ... mostly because SG-1 were off world the whole time I was there."

"They get into trouble much more frequently than my team," John suggested.

"If you say so Sir," Evan said blandly.

"I do," Sheppard insisted. He fell silent for a moment and then sighed. "Look, I know you don't want to hear this but if you need anything – more time, someone to spar with or yell at – you ask me, okay."

"Ah ... okay," Lorne replied awkwardly. "I really am okay Sir."

"You might get away with that with most people Evan," John said pointedly, "but you're talking to a master here. I can recognise someone who's bailing out a sinking boat better than most."

"Then what do you want from me, Sir?" Evan stopped, folding his arms over his chest as he confronted his CO.

"Some honestly wouldn't go astray," Sheppard stopped too, more comfortable with the turn of the conversation than Lorne would have given him credit for.

"Fine," Evan paced away and then turned back. "I hurried to get back here because I couldn't believe Prue was really gone. The whole time I was back on Earth all I could hear was her calling for me to save her. Only I didn't, did I? _She_ saved me and that's just unacceptable – but I didn't get a choice and that annoys the hell out of me. _Everything_ annoys me, including this conversation, so respectfully Sir, I'd appreciate it if everyone would just leave me the hell alone and let me do my job."

Lorne was breathing hard by the time he was done, sure he was about to get a reprimand for insubordination, but Sheppard just grinned, slapping a hand to Evan's shoulder. "See, that wasn't so hard, was it?" John asked.

"Ah ...," Evan didn't know what to say.

"I can't do anything about most of that aside from telling everyone to lay off the questions and offers of help," Sheppard offered. "How does that sound?"

"It sounds good," Evan admitted.

"Okay," Sheppard's expression grew serious. "But you tell me – personally – if that sinking boat thing starts getting out of control. No arguments Evan."

Evan hesitated and then nodded wordlessly.

"Good to have you back," Sheppard said, getting them walking again.

Lorne didn't give the predictable rejoinder because he wasn't sure how he felt – it was right that he was back, but whether it turned out to be good still wasn't clear.

* * *

He looked for some sign that his dreams of Prue calling to him were more than just his imagination working overtime, and found nothing. Confronting the shield room where she'd given up everything to save him was harder than he'd imagined, but even there he found no lingering trace of her. Nothing to say that she'd even existed at all, beyond his memories.

Carson approved him for restricted duty, which basically meant he could undertake all his on base duties but wouldn't get to go off world until he could prove that he wasn't about to lose it in front of their allies. He didn't mind because being in the city was what he needed most. He had to find a way to block off his more negative emotions from the city though – the feedback he got from the systems reading him got more and more insistent, like Atlantis itself wanted to fix him. There was an irony there – that he could hide what was going on in his head from his team, from his friends, but not from a collection of systems that could read him from the inside out.

They came to an uneasy truce, he and Atlantis, where the 'let me fix you' static was kept at a minimum as long as he could control the more violent of his emotions.

"_Please_," Lorne thought at large a couple of days after he got back. He still felt a little ridiculous talking to something that couldn't talk back, not in words ... and doing anything with his gene just screamed 'Prue', all the hours he'd spent in her lab practicing coming back to him in a host of memories that hurt like everything hurt these days.

The static feedback got a little sharper, insistent. His interpretation of that was that his emotions were too loud, that he was disturbing the city.

"_I'll tone it down_," he promised, concentrating hard to do just that. He wasn't sure how successful he was but the static from the city immediately settled back into normal too. It seemed that trying was good enough, for now.

Within days of his return everyone was treating him as they had before, either because Colonel Sheppard had ordered them to or because Lorne's own behaviour gave them no other choice. He avoided situations that gave anyone an opening to question him, ignoring the worried looks he was getting from Nate, Dan, and Jennifer.

It was all about pretending everything was normal because if he did that eventually the pretense would turn into reality. But instead of things getting better, every day that passed they only got worse. Evan struggled to accept the fate he'd been dealt but couldn't find it within himself to do so. Prue was gone and he tried to be philosophical about it but he-just-couldn't-do-it.

He felt haunted by her – in his quarters, on the balconies, in the mess hall, all those times of the day when he was most accustomed to being with Prue. Everything had him thinking about her and it became unbearable. Something had to give – soon, because he couldn't live with the inside version of Evan Lorne ... it was as simple as that. He went from trying to accept her death to looking for reasons to believe she wasn't gone, not completely, that there was a way he could communicate with her, if for no other reason than to tell her he had forgiven her, that he'd never stopped loving her.

Somewhere within his deluded mind he convinced himself that Fidesia at least wouldn't have let Prue just die like that, not if she could save her. And if Prue had ascended - and let's face it, someone who'd sacrificed their past, present and future to save the ascended Ancients deserved another chance at ascension - then she should be able to talk to him. Wouldn't the others allow it, given what he'd done for them?

That was his theory anyway, and as the days continued to just go by, it was the only thing that was keeping him going, that gave him a reason to drag his sorry hide out of bed every morning. Of course he didn't do anything about his theory because if he went to the hologram room and Prue _wasn't _there, or worse if Fidesia showed up and crushed his hope with a truth he didn't want to hear ... well then, what would he have left?

Lorne finally caved two weeks after his return to Atlantis. He'd tossed and turned for hours, driving himself crazy with the what-if thoughts until around 3am, when he couldn't stand it anymore.

The hologram room was dark and still ... and dead. When he stepped up to the dais nothing happened. No image of Morgan appeared ... no image of anyone else either. It was as though as soon as the Ancients had their future sorted they'd pulled the plug on Atlantis and the tools they'd used to get what they wanted.

"Prue!"

He yelled it, so that his voice echoed off the walls. Putting his hands on the console he quickly tapped into the core of the Atlantis systems. "_Prue!_ He screamed it mentally, feeling the reverberations growing as the pulse of his tormented thoughts travelled out from the hologram room, creating ripples of discordant static through every system.

"Prue," he whispered it, aloud and in his head.

And still it was silent.

Backing away from the console until he hit the wall, Evan slid slowly down until he was sitting on the floor. And then he put his head on his knees and wept as he'd been unable to do before. Harsh sounds of pain ripped from his throat until he was raw and still it wasn't enough ... the gaping hole Prue had left inside him was like a chasm that would eventually swallow him whole. Right then he wanted nothing more than the oblivion it would provide.

Time passed but he wasn't aware of it ... he'd shifted from explosive grief to a numb unreality, his eyes unseeing.

A breeze, faint and smelling of those damned purple flowers wafted over his face ... at first he didn't feel it but when he realised what he was sensing he was up on his feet, moving to the console.

"Prue?" His voice was hoarse, barely audible.

"Evan Lorne," Morgan shimmered into being, powered only by her essence, the pretence that she was part of Atlantis no longer required. Moving closer she surrounded him with blinding white light, her expression compassionate.

"NO!" Evan leapt out of her light, stumbling against the wall before righting himself. Holding his hands out to ward her off he spoke again. "No! If you're thinking to take away this pain then forget it!"

"Your grief is affecting the city Evan," Morgan said gently.

"So what?" Evan shot back harshly. "At this point I couldn't care less what happens to your damned city!"

"That is not true," Morgan shifted closer but was careful not to touch him. She regarded him for a moment, like he was some kind of bug under a microscope. "I can help you feel better Evan. Why would you not want me to assist you in this way?"

"Because I don't _want_ to feel better!" Evan laughed bitterly. "That'd be your way though right? Because god forbid someone should be so important that you'd want to remember them or feel destroyed because they aren't ... " he swallowed hard, tears rising suddenly. Clearing his throat he turned away. "Because they aren't there anymore," he finished hoarsely.

"You would prefer to remember Devia, to retain your feelings for her, even though it causes you so much pain?" Morgan asked.

"_Prue_! Her name is Prue!" Evan shot Morgan an angry glare. "I don't care what she was before or what you did to make her who she was when she first came here. Everything she did after that, everything she tried to do to protect us and save your sorry asses was all her ... all Prudence Darnell."

"You have forgiven her subterfuge, her unwillingness to tell you the truth?" Morgan asked curiously. "Despite how angry it made you to find she was not what you believed her to be?"

"Yeah, I forgave her, about five seconds after I told her I couldn't deal with it," Lorne shook his head. "I thought there'd be time to work it all out. I was angry, and not only because she didn't tell me the full truth - it was _why_ she didn't tell me that really got to me."

"_Why_?" Morgan repeated.

"She was protecting me!" Evan ran a hand through his hair, agitated. "That's what makes me want to tell you and your ascended friends to leave us the fuck alone! I mean, what gives you the right to manipulate us like that?" He laughed harshly. "The worst part is that I did it to myself. You read me like an open book, didn't you? All those times I came here to consult the hologram you were working out what kind of man I was. You used that when you made Prue come here, when you gave her a background, took away some of her memories and gave her a history and a mission - you made her someone I'd feel connected to. You _knew_ I'd fall in love with her and you drove her to defy you, to love me back, because you knew that would be the only thing that would make her do what had to be done. Even showing me Occulus, making sure I'd find out Prue's history, was about gaining my sympathy so I'd work with her. You used me and you used her."

"Devia chose herself for this task, just as the fates chose you," Morgan countered. "Some must be guided to their path ... as we guided you to yours by placing Ludo's pyramid on a world in your home galaxy. Our inclusion of a need within the genuine record of time created by our brothers was the only way to reveal you as the one who would save us."

"I did nothing," Lorne looked down at the ground, his vision blurring. Rubbing a hand over his eyes he shook his head. "It was Prue who saved you."

"It was the two of you together who did what no-one else could do," Morgan intoned. Her light brightened and she grew in stature to tower over him. "Were it not for you Evan Lorne, our brothers would have taken over this and your own galaxy, using your and every other race in both galaxies for their own amusements, unravelling the very fabric of creation."

"Yeah, well I'm not seeing that as a positive right now," Evan muttered. Looking up he met Morgan's eyes. "Look, just tell me one thing okay. Is Prue ... is she ... okay?"

"You would feel better if I am able to give an affirmative response?" Morgan asked curiously.

"I am _never_ going to feel better," Evan said bitterly.

"Then why do you ask?"

"Because she did everything you wanted!" Evan slammed his palm against the wall, needing an outlet for his rage and his pain. "What the hell kind of recognition is it to sacrifice everything - not just who you are but your very existence - and get nothing back?"

"You would think it right if Devia was returned to her position amongst the ascended?" Morgan queried gently.

It hurt to do it but right then Prue's future was more important than him ... she deserved to exist, even if it was in a form that meant Evan would never see her again. "_Yes_, I think it's right. Prue did what you wanted ... she should get what she wants in return."

As soon as the words were spoken the grief rose up again, killing what little composure he'd been holding on to. Staggering against the wall Evan let himself drop back to the floor, leaning his head back against the wall, not giving a damn that tears were coursing silently down his face.

"Just go ... ," he whispered it, the bright lights of Morgan's presence a pain he didn't want to deal with. "Leave me be ...,"

The light shifted closer, brightened, and caressed him. "We find you worthy Evan Lorne," Morgan's voice was the chorus of many voices all in tandem.

"Good for me," Evan muttered ungraciously, eyes closed now. "If you want to do something for me, tell Prue ... Devia ... nothing changed the way I felt. Nothing will."

Lights flashed and the sound of a bell chiming a single note reverberated against the walls. Evan kept his eyes closed, hoping it was done. Talking to Morgan just reminded him of all the ways he'd succeeded in fucking up the best thing he'd ever had in his life. It had felt hopeless at the time but he should have found a way to stop Prue from -.

"Tell me yourself."

His eyes shot open, meeting brown ones he never thought he'd see again.

"Prue?" he whispered it, blinking. It was his Prue but it was Devia as well, in the clothes she wore and the way her hair fell in waves around her, no longer hidden tightly away. She looked like the woman Fidesia had shown him, someone who belonged with the likes of Fee and Morgan. "Are you ...?"

"Am I real?" Prue asked lightly. Moving gracefully she stood at his feet, looking down at him with affectionate exasperation. "I'm here Evan."

"Right," Lorne frowned, looking away. It was too cruel ... why would they let Prue ... _no_, Devia ... why would they let her visit him? Sure, he was glad to have proof that she had been saved, that she'd been allowed to ascend back to where she belonged, but did he really need to see the evidence? He'd wanted nothing more than to talk to Prue but now that he had what he wanted it felt more like a slap in the face, a mockery of his grief, and it made him angry as hell. Jumping to his feet he rounded on her, ignoring the way his heart leapt and his senses zinged because she was near. "Go join your ascended friends Devia," he said harshly. "Atlantis can manage with plain old flawed humans from now on."

"What have you done to yourself?" Prue ignored his words, stepping closer and putting a hand to his face. His eyes were red rimmed and every word out of his mouth rasped with the rawness he'd yelled into it.

"Don't," Evan jerked away. Her touch felt real ... breath hitching he knew with sudden clarity that he had to get out of there or he was going to lose it entirely and never be able to put himself together again. Skirting around her he strode to the door.

"Don't what?" Prue asked gently, blocking his path. "Don't love you?"

"What the hell do you people want from me?" Evan yelled. He crowded her now but she let him, not moving an inch. "Isn't it enough that you're gone Prue, or did you need to stop by just to make sure I'm sufficiently broken? Do you want me to tell you that you going back to what you were is enough to have me quitting this place, quitting everything ... because I can't bear to see anything that reminds me of you?" He laughed bitterly. "Trouble is _everything_ reminds me of you and there is nowhere I can hide to get away from that. The sooner you go back to ascended land, the sooner I can get back to finding out how far into despair I'm going to sink."

"Oh Evan," Prue's eyes filled with tears. "I'm so sorry."

"I don't need your fucking pity!" Lorne grabbed her upper arms and backed her into the wall, hard. She gave a gasp, but that only egged him on. "I just need you to go the fuck away ...," in counterpoint to his words he edged closer, plastering her against the wall with his body.

She felt real ... that was the kicker. Real flesh and blood, nothing ancienty about her. When she threaded her fingers through his hair and jerked his lips down to hers that felt pretty damn real too, enough that he was quickly consuming her as heatedly as he'd been yelling at her seconds before.

She moaned ... or maybe he did ... as his teeth scraped her bottom lip and he tasted blood ... and then it was heart stoppingly, hope beyond all measure, real.

"_Prue_?" He ripped his mouth away, eyes locked to hers. "You're really here?"

"That's what I've been trying to tell you, you idiot!" Prue smiled, watching him carefully. "You told Morgan to give me whatever I wanted - that it was what I deserved for what they put us through. They agreed."

"And you wanted ... this?" Evan frowned.

"I wanted you," Prue said with certainty. "A day without you isn't worth living, let alone forever. And in case that isn't clear enough, I would rather spend whatever time I have in a real life with you Evan Lorne, than spend eternity as an ascended being."

"Oh God," Evan trembled as the truth finally hit him. "You're back?" He wrapped his arms around her and picked her up, squeezing her too tightly. "You're back!" Spinning her, both laughing and crying at the same time, Lorne's euphoria was overwhelming. His emotions were so intense, so complex, that singling out any one facet of what he was feeling would have been impossible.

"I should have told you I forgave you," Evan set her back on her feet, kissing her gently. "I should have told you I understood that you did what you had to do," he continued, capturing her lips in another kiss that moved them into passion again. "I should have told you that I still loved you, even when I was angry as hell."

Prue smiled into the next kiss, even as she ran her hands over him and up under his shirt to feel the heat of his flesh. "I should have told you the whole thing the minute I remembered how much I loved you," she returned, pressing kisses to his neck and face.

"Damn, we're a pair, aren't we?" Evan laughed, setting her back on her feet so he could look at her. "I can't believe this is real," he admitted. He touched her hair lightly, his hand shaking with the emotions pounding through his heart.

"They wouldn't let me come to you," Prue leaned into his hand, her face tormented with the memory from her perspective. "Fidesia either. They blocked me completely Evan – I couldn't even confirm that you were alive, although Fidesia reassured me that you were. I know you have questions and I want to answer them all, the ones I have answers for anyway. But before we can do that we need to -,"

"Talk to Colonel Sheppard and Doctor Weir," Evan finished reluctantly. "I know. I just ... I need to hold you for a while first, okay?"

"More than okay," Prue agreed. Taking his hand she drew him from the hologram room and into the deserted corridor, not stopping until they came to the nearest balcony. She sat, urging him down beside her. And then she put her arms around him, snuggling close with her head over his heart.

And Evan finally felt whole again.


	43. Epilogue

**Chapter 43: Epilogue**

"You look terrible," Prue leaned back to look up at him, her expression shifting to concerned. "Have you been sleeping at all?"

"Not really," Evan dismissed her concern, his eyes taking in all the details of her. "You, on the other hand, look incredible." He touched a hand to her hair, following it over her shoulder and down to the small of her back, smiling. "I like this."

"I wasn't deliberately hiding myself," she explained earnestly, "but I needed an exterior that matched what I thought I was here to do. And to be honest, most of that studiousness you saw _is_ me."

"Oh I know," Evan said feelingly, chuckling when she narrowed her eyes at him. Sighing, he settled his head back against the wall. "The past two months have been ... tough," he admitted. "I don't want to tell you how close to the edge I was Prue ... to be honest I'm still wondering if I've finally lost it and this is all just my delusion."

"I'm so sorry Evan," Prue lifted a hand to his cheek, her light caress touching his heart. "If I'd had a choice I would have been with you. I would have done anything to spare you that kind of pain." Her eyes filled with tears and she looked away.

"_Don't_," Evan urged her to look at him. "Don't hide from me, and for god's sake don't cry – I don't think I can take that right now."

Prue nodded, gave him a watery smile.

"So you've been ...," he waved a hand vaguely.

"With Fidesia mostly," Prue grabbed his hand, holding it tightly. "The not knowing was disturbing in a way only a being that has the capacity for omnipotence can appreciate. I had no choice of course, even though I tried my best to defy all of them. The fact that they could block me so effectively, keep me where I didn't want to be, despite my having the full power of an ascended being, really proved why we needed to get rid of the others. We did the right thing," she told him with certainty. "If they had gained followers there wouldn't have been enough of the others to hold them back."

It was his turn to nod wordlessly ... now that she was with him he didn't want to talk about the moment when he'd lost her. Even though he knew it was something he would never forget.

They lapsed into silence for a few moments before Prue sighed. "So ... ask your questions," she invited.

"I don't know where to begin," Evan admitted. "And I don't have as many questions as you're anticipating. Fidesia showed me, Prue."

"Showed you what?" Prue frowned.

"Your thoughts, before you took on the role of watching out for me," Evan explained. Even though it hadn't been his idea, he felt a little uncomfortable admitting it – what he'd seen was private and he was sure she wouldn't have voluntarily revealed so much.

"Oh," Prue looked shocked for a moment but then she surprised him, laughing as she looked at him. "Well, that saves a lot of time, doesn't it?"

"Ah ... yeah, I guess it does," Evan agreed. "She showed me Occulus too. It was ... amazing, Prue."

"I know," Prue smiled wistfully. "It was worth sacrificing everything for. I'm glad I don't have to hide that anymore because it means I can share it with you, tell you about my family, the people ... everything."

"I'd really like that," Evan said simply.

More silence followed until it was Evan's turn to break it with a question. "How much of the Prue I knew was you?" he asked in a low tone. It had troubled him, wondering whether Morgan had conjured 'the perfect woman' for him after invading his thoughts.

"Pretty much all of it," Prue didn't take offence. Laughing she continued. "Yes I really am this stubborn and opinionated. The Ancients gave me a mission and at first I was driven to succeed, no matter who tried to get in my way. Aside from being convinced they'd taken me straight from Occulus, and that I couldn't tell anyone, their changes were minimal. All they really did was plant enough information in my head, about Earth and the SGC, so I didn't have to think about being convincing as someone who came from there."

"What about SG-6, Colonel Barnes?" Evan persisted. "You never met him and yet ..."

"And yet I told you I did, in as many words," Prue shrugged. "You were so upset Evan, I could see it as soon as I walked into the gym that day. You probably won't believe this but it took a lot less time for me to fall for you all over again than you'd guess. I was already struggling to hide my emotions by then – to stick to my mission – and I felt driven to help you. I knew Colonel Barnes through your having known him so it wasn't that much of a stretch. I'm sorry for the deception."

"It's okay," Evan took a deep breath and then let it out. "And at the time you helped."

"That was the first time you touched me," Prue said wistfully. "Do you remember?"

"Like it was yesterday," Evan returned, clearly recalling that surge of heat when he'd grabbed her wrist. "That wasn't because of the Ancient's was it?"

"No, that was _all _us," Prue smiled. "It was the first time I had this feeling of déjà vu," she told him. "Not like I'd been there exactly like that before, but that I knew you more than I possibly could, that things weren't quite how I thought they should be. It happened more and more the closer we got, but I couldn't talk to you about it, not without -"

"Not without revealing the truth," he finished.

"I really did think they'd just remove me and replace me with someone else if I talked," Prue said. "And in such a way that you would never even realise anything was different. It troubled me that you wouldn't remember I'd ever been there. Maybe it was selfish but I couldn't bear that."

"They really have that kind of power?" Evan queried.

"Yes," Prue sighed. "The power to do anything they can conceive. That's why one of them went back and created those columns on P88-013 and here. They made them impervious to being destroyed or amended - don't ask me how, I just know they can't be changed. Those columns will be there, exactly as they are, when everything else has turned to dust."

"They needed an independent record, a deterrent for changing events," Evan understood at once what she was saying. "Otherwise how would they ever be able to tell what was intended?" He didn't point out that things could have been changed before that record had been created - thinking about all the twists and turns of messing with time would just drive him crazy.

"Exactly," Prue agreed.

"So that means what happened with us was always meant to be," Evan smiled at the thought.

"I guess so," Prue smiled too. "What you did was incredible Evan," she said. "I don't think even the Ancients really expected you could defeat so many of their kind, that you'd put yourself in so much peril for something that seemed insurmountable. I won't say it's changed them but they will look at humans differently in the future."

"I had help," he reminded her, forever modest and unassuming. "I wouldn't be here right now were it not for you - not that I wasn't angry at the time when I realised what you'd done. But ... did either of us ever really have a choice?"

"No, not really."

They fell silent for a time before Lorne spoke again. "So you not wanting to go to Earth was just because you knew it would blow your cover?"

"Yes," Prue agreed. "The Ancients probably could have smoothed over any problems but with Doctor Jackson there, a former ascended, I just couldn't take the risk."

"Good, because I want you to meet my family," Evan declared. "My sister especially. I ah ... I went there, to grieve I guess. It helped a little but I left her worrying about me. I ... _we_ need to fix that."

"I'd like that," Prue smiled softly. "If they'll let me."

"Ah, yes," Lorne took a deep breath, letting it out resolutely. "No time like the present to get the ball rolling." Standing, he tapped his ear piece, reaching down a hand to help her up.

"Lorne to Colonel Sheppard."

There was a pause and then John's voice, muffled with sleep. "Major. You do know what time it is, right?"

"Yes Sir, but this can't wait," Lorne replied.

There was another pause and then Sheppard responded. "Okay. What do you need?"

Evan smiled, knowing his CO was probably thinking that he'd finally lost it over Prue. The fact that John was willing to talk even though it was four am was kind of touching. "This is something you need to see for yourself Sir," he said. "I'm on the balcony just off the hologram room."

"I'll be there in five," Sheppard promised, closing off the channel.

"What do you think he'll say?" Prue asked, obviously feeling nervous.

"I honestly don't know," Evan admitted, putting his arm around her bracingly. "But I promise you, no matter what, it's you and me from now on Prue. We'll work this out somehow."

The tears that glistened in her eyes told him that he couldn't have said anything better to reassure her.

It didn't take long for Sheppard to arrive. "_Major_?" he halted at the balcony doors, incredulous, his gaze shifting from Prue to his 2IC in disbelief.

"I _know _Sir," Lorne moved forward, bringing Prue with him. "But I swear this is really Prue. I _know_ there was evidence to say otherwise but Fidesia did save her ... and Morgan and the other ascended returned her."

"Why?" John asked bluntly.

It was a fair question. Lorne wasn't sure he really understood himself.

"Because Evan asked them to," Prue smiled when both men looked at her with matching expressions of surprise and disbelief. "I don't think you appreciate the magnitude of what Evan did for the ascended Colonel. He fixed a problem they've grappled with for millennia ... one man where hundreds with powers far greater have failed. For that I think he could have asked for anything, not that he would."

"No, the Major isn't one for grandstanding," John shot his 2IC an amused look, "or for owning up to half of what he's clearly capable of doing."

"I'm ah ... I did say I was sorry about that, right?" Evan looked at Sheppard hopefully.

"You did, more than once," John agreed. "So Lorne here asked Morgan to bring you back and she just said sure, why not? That doesn't strike you as something to worry about?" he asked Evan.

"Yes, it does," Lorne admitted. "But at the same time I _know_ that this really is Prue."

"You sound pretty sure about that," John looked at Prudence, frowning, clearly confused. "I hate to be sceptical but the Ancient's aren't exactly known for their benevolence. How do we know this isn't another one of their tricks ... for our own good of course."

"I understand Colonel," Prue said simply. "And I understand if you can't trust me straight away. I'm willing to undergo any testing you feel is necessary. I'll submit myself to be restrained too, if that helps."

"No you won't!" Lorne shot out before John could comment.

"The Major is right," Sheppard said, giving his 2IC a pointed look. "I don't think locking you up will be necessary. Elizabeth will want Carson to check you out though, for obvious reasons."

"I'll do whatever it takes if it means I can return to my job Colonel," Prue declared. "I may not have access to all the information I had before but I'm sure I can still make a valuable contribution."

"We'll talk about that later," John dismissed. Moving forward he stopped in front of Prue, looking at Evan with a question in his eyes. Lorne smiled, nodding, watching as his CO pulled Prue into a brief hug. Prue looked bemused, her eyes filling with tears as she hugged John back.

"It's good to see you alive and well Prue," Sheppard said, stepping back. "And not just because Evan's been pretty much useless since you've been gone."

"Hey, that's not true!" Lorne protested.

"It is," John said to Prue in an aside, raising a laugh from her. "It's early but I think we should wake Elizabeth. The sooner we get you started with those tests the sooner we can clear you to return to work."

"Thank you Colonel," Prue said gratefully.

"John," Sheppard reminded her. "And I'm sure Elizabeth will agree that this is nothing compared with getting Evan back to himself."

Putting a hand to Prue's back, the Colonel urged her forward. As they left the balcony and turned towards Doctor Weir's quarters, Prue glanced back to where Evan was following. He shrugged, urging her to go along with whatever John had planned. He'd hoped for a receptive response from his commanding officer, that's why he'd contacted the Colonel first. With John on their side the prospect that Prue could simply slot back into her prior role seemed more likely than it had before.

* * *

Late the same day Prue had completed a whole battery of tests and was resting – under Carson's keen observation – in one of the isolation rooms. Beckett had insisted Lorne go and get some rest, assuring Evan that Prue would be perfectly okay as a guest of his infirmary. Evan had no choice but to agree, pausing only to press a firm kiss to Prue's lips before leaving the infirmary.

News of Prue's return had flashed around the city like wildfire but Lorne managed to avoid being questioned directly, his entire day spent at her side. He wanted to talk to people, his team especially, but only if he could do it with Prue at his side, _after_ they knew the outcome of all those tests. He'd intended to go to his quarters but instead ended up in the hologram room. The program was unresponsive – Rodney had suggested during the early morning debrief that Morgan had disabled it and that he'd look at fixing it when he had time.

For now the room was still silent. As he ran a hand over the console Evan tried to reconcile the events of the past few hours. He'd gone from wondering how he was going to get through the rest of his life without Prue to having her back ... _because he'd asked_. It just defied understanding.

"Take my advice Major, don't think about it," Colonel Sheppard said from the door. "It will only end up hurting your brain."

Evan laughed. "I think you're right Sir."

John moved into the room, looking around too. "Seems like only yesterday we stood in this room for the first time and found out there was a threat even deadlier than the Goa'uld," he commented.

"Yes Sir," Lorne watched his CO for a moment before speaking. "I have to thank you Colonel."

"For what?" John frowned.

"For accepting that Prue is what she says she is, what _I_ said she was," Evan explained. "I don't think the rest of this would have been as easy without your support."

"You're a good man Evan, and an important part of this base," Sheppard replied. "We need you here, even more so now you've shown what you can do with the gene. And without Prue sacrificing herself I don't think you'd be standing there right now. She saved your life – when this whole thing went down and this morning when she chose you over staying with the Ancients ... it was the least I could do to make sure she had a life to return to."

"You knew how close to the edge I was," Lorne concluded. Running his hands through his hair he couldn't conceal the faint tremor. He was beyond tired and running solely on the euphoria of Prue being alive. And although she was back, letting go of the grief and worse, the knowledge of how quickly he could lose the most important thing in his life would take some time.

"I understand loss Evan," John revealed, "not to the degree you do but like I said when you got back, I can recognise a guy whose ship is sinking fast. You're my second but I'd like to think we're friends as well. Besides, we don't leave anyone behind, not in any sense of the word."

"No Sir," Lorne grinned. "And I appreciate the sentiment Colonel – and the friendship."

"So, you going to tell me about this gene thing of yours?" Sheppard queried casually.

"Sure, of course," Evan agreed just as casually. "What do you want to know Sir?"

"First, when we're talking about stuff like this I want you to call me John," Sheppard said firmly. "I'm not ordering you to talk to me and I'd understand if you don't want to. But if you do, start when you first worked out there was something going on with your gene."

"It's fine ... John," Evan smiled. "And that would be the day I arrived. The city spoke to me ... it was meaningless static in my head at the time but it distracted the hell out of me, before I managed to get the city to tone it down. It's been there ever since, to varying degrees."

"I don't hear the city," John offered. "I can feel her though ... like that tingling you get before you touch something and get an electric shock."

"Sounds just as distracting," Evan commented.

"Yeah, it was," John agreed. "Took a while to get used to it. But it does have its advantages ... drives McKay crazy how I know when we're close to something Ancienty – even before his instruments do."

"He wasn't too happy with me on the Orion either," Evan chuckled. "By then, with all the practice Prue made me do, I could make sense of the static. It helped me work out where to direct our efforts."

"There's something to all this, sure," Sheppard said, "but given the fact that the Ancients chose you long before you even got here I'm not convinced practising was the key. Maybe that was just the way Morgan and the others got you to open yourself up to what you could already do."

"You mean believe it and you can make it happen?" Evan clarified.

"Yes, that," John nodded. "If Morgan had turned up on day one and told us you had what it would take to save all her kind, what would we have done? Told her she was crazy probably. Instead they drew you in gradually until you had no choice."

"That damned frog in his boiling water again!" Lorne shook his head. "Despite the result, being manipulated like that really bugs the hell out of me."

"I'm not too happy about it either," John admitted. "Not because you did anything wrong Evan," he hastened to add. "Because it makes me wonder when or where else they'll dip their noses into our business again without our knowledge."

"If it makes you feel any better I don't think they can, not without risking the same problem happening again," Evan said. "Prue said those columns on P88-013 and here on M4R-322 are permanent – unchangeable. They keep the Ancients honest – _all_ of them, good or bad. If we complete all the translations at both sites we'll be able to detect any deviations. I don't think Fidesia will be hovering over us anymore but with Prue here, if we do have suspicions of tampering, Fidesia might respond."

"That should alleviate the I.O.A.'s concerns," John looked thoughtful. "Plus it's another reason to argue that Prue should stay here. She's the best we have on Atlantis for completing those translations. Assuming Carson confirms she's as human as you or I, I think you're home free."

"You were worried the I.O.A. would request Prue submit for testing back on Earth?" Lorne blinked, wondering why that hadn't occurred to him as well.

"It was on the cards," John admitted. "You'll probably still have to take her to the SGC – General Landry will want to talk to both of you."

"I'll do whatever it takes," Lorne repeated Prue's words from earlier.

"I know you will," John smiled. "You might want to have a chat to Doctor Jackson, mention that he should fill General O'Neill in on the situation too. The General would be a good one to have in your corner if this goes all the way to the Pentagon."

Evan nodded, seeing the sense in using whatever connections he had. Rubbing his eyes he couldn't manage to stifle the yawn that overtook him.

"You need to get some sleep Major," John narrowed his eyes as though really seeing Evan for the first time. "You look like crap – if Carson or Prue see you like this my head will be on the chopping block too."

"Carson's maybe, but not Prue, Sir," Evan shifted back into their more formal relationship with ease. "She'd probably tell _me_ off for keeping you up." It was subtle but he knew John would understand – Prue had always liked the Colonel and after this morning's support and John's genuine expression of happiness that she was okay, Sheppard would never be able to do wrong in her eyes.

"Carson is more than enough threat," John grinned. "Go – bed - now Major."

"Yes Sir," Lorne straightened, giving one of those formal nods that took the place of a salute around the city. And then, a smile playing over his face he turned and headed for his quarters because Sheppard was right. If Carson saw that he hadn't followed his suggestion already, he'd regret it the next time he needed medical attention.

* * *

"Well Major, Doctor," Carson smiled at both Prue and Evan. "I can say with complete certainty that Prue is one hundred percent human – not a trace of anything Ancient or ascended about her. You don't have the ATA gene," he turned to address Prue specifically, "and although I can't say for sure, with the antibodies you have as well as the basic make-up of your DNA I'd say you're exactly as you were before you Ascended the first time."

"The day Occulus was destroyed," Prue said softly.

"Aye," Carson agreed. "We'll need to keep an eye on you should any of the common Pegasus ailments break out – most of the associated viruses would have mutated considerably since you last had to worry about getting sick. Aside from that there's really nothing remotely interesting about you." He smiled at the relief that statement engendered in both of his audience.

"Thanks Doc," Evan said gratefully. "I assume you'll be including all of that in your official report?"

"Oh, aye, you can bet on it lad," Carson put a hand to Prue's shoulder fondly. "Anyone with a smidgeon of gray matter would know that this young lady belongs right here. Now, I'll inform Colonel Sheppard and Doctor Weir of my findings, but for now, you're free to go."

"Free," Prue repeated as she watched Carson walk away.

"For now," Lorne cautioned. He'd already filled her in on his conversation with John the previous evening. "We'll still have to answer to the SGC and the I.O.A."

"I'm not worried about that, not with Colonel Sheppard and Doctor Weir's support," Prue smiled. "What now?"

"Now we go to the Mess hall and face the music," Evan shrugged. "Coughlin and Reed should still be there – I owe them something after the past few weeks."

"What did you do?" Prue frowned, allowing him to take her hand as they walked down the corridor. Everyone they passed looked at Prue first and then him, usually breaking into a smile before nodding to both of them.

"Nothing," Lorne said defensively, not adding that that was the problem.

"Right, so I'll ask Nate then," Prue took the lead, turning into the mess hall and looking for Evan's team. Spotting them she tugged on Evan's hand, not stopping until they were standing beside the table where Coughlin, Reed, Cheung and Doctor Parish all sat, finishing breakfast.

"Sir," Coughlin shot to his feet. "Prue!" His eyes locked on Prue and it was like he couldn't resist. Stepping forward he pulled her into his arms, hugging her tightly. "We heard the news. Man, are you a sight for sore eyes!" he exclaimed.

Prue hugged him back, only letting go when Dan got up, eager to take his turn.

"You might as well hug her too," Evan told Cheung and Parish ruefully. Smiling, the two took him at his word, completing the reunion exchange. Once they were all seated again, Lorne looked around the table. "I ah ... I should apologise for being less than communicative the past few weeks," he said.

"By that he means he refused to talk to us," Nate translated for Prue.

"_Evan_," Prue frowned at him.

"What?" Evan's brow rose as he looked back at her innocently. "Hey, you try losing the love of your life and see how talkative you are!"

"He's got a point," Dan told Nate.

"Don't even go there!" Nate protested. He was the only other one of Lorne's team who had a girl – that had given him an edge in understanding what his CO had gone through but he'd still found it hard to work out how to help the Major. "We're all glad to have you back ... _both_ of you."

"I missed all of you," Prue said sincerely.

"With any luck Prue will be going back to her old job," Evan explained. "I don't think we'll get away without a trip back to earth first but once that's done we should be back to business as usual."

"Good, because I miss going off world Sir," Dan said feelingly.

"The city not exciting enough for you?" Evan quipped.

"Not in the last week or so," Reed returned. "I'm young Sir ... I get bored easily."

Nate laughed. "He's right about one thing – he's young all right ... I think the correct term is 'immature'." Everyone laughed, even Reed.

"I'm sure something will come along to liven things up for you Airman," Lorne promised. "Now, tell me what's been going on the past few weeks. I'll admit that I haven't exactly been paying attention."

Coughlin answered for them all, running through the basics. Evan sat back, listening, watching the reactions of them all, but especially Prue. She looked happy ... and comfortable. With a start of surprise he realised he'd already gotten used to the changes in her appearance. She was just Prue to him now ... as she'd been before and as she always would be. And he knew he could weather just about anything with her beside him.

**The End**

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**Authors Note:**

After eighteen months, seven background stories plus this one, almost half a million words (gah!), and so many hours I can't even begin to estimate them, I declare this series finally complete! I know, hard to believe isn't it? Thank you all for sticking with me - especially those of you who've reviewed pretty much every chapter - that's what kept me wanting to post and I really appreciate it. This was probably the most difficult of all the stories I've written to complete, because I'm so taken with the character of Lorne and I really wanted to do him justice _and _create an OC worthy of winning his heart. I don't expect universal approval on achieving that but I personally am very happy with Prue and with how this turned out. If you want to see who I'd pick to play Prue, I have added a banner to my website, on the Forlorn Hope page.

I don't have plans to add more stories to this series, even though it ends in season three just before Progeny so there is plenty more canon to cover. I won't rule it out but I can't promise anything - can't resist inspiration would have to strike to fuel me. Or you could all _overwhelm _me with demanding reviews and MAKE me write something *grins*.

In all seriousness, this is my personal favourite of all the stories I've written. Thank you for sharing it with me.


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